THE  GOSPEL  FOR 
BOTH  WORLDS 


EDWARD   EELLS 


BV  4253  .1:27 g 

Eells,  Edward. 

The  gospel  for  both  worlds 

THE  GOSPEL  FOR  BOTH 
WORLDS 


TEN  SERMONS  PREACHED  IN  OUR  FATHER'S 
HOUSE    (MEMORIAL    CHURCH)     WORCESTER 


BY 


y/ 


EDWARD  EELLS 

AUTHOR   OF    "christlike    CHRISTIANITY,'* 
**A   MISSION   TO   hell" 


BOSTON 

SHERMAN,  FRENCH  &  COMPANY 

1911 


Copyright,  1911 
Sherman,  French  &^  Company 


"  What  in  me  is  dark 
Illumine,  what  is  low  raise  and  support ; 
That  to  the  height  of  this  great  argument 
I  may  assert  eternal  Providence, 
And  justify  the  ways  of  God  to  men." 

—  Milton, 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTEE  PAGE 

I.  The  Only  Gospel      ...  .1 

II.  The  Everlasting  Gospel  .      .      .11 

III.  OuE  Unchanging  Jehovah       .      .      28 

IV.  The  Same  Jesus 40 

V.  Knees  That  Will  Bow       .      »      .      52 

VI.  The  Gates  Never  Shut     ...      64 

VII.  The  Sacredness  of  Hell  ...      79 

VIII.  First-Fruits  of  the  Harvest       .      95 

IX.  The  Great  Commission       .      .      .107 

X.  The  Completed  Chorus     .      .      .   121 


THE  GOSPEL  FOR  BOTH 
WORLDS 


THE  ONLY  GOSPEL 

"  Though  we  or  an  angel  from  heaven  preach  any  other 
gospel  unto  you  than  that  which  we  have  preached  unto 
you,  let  him  be  anathema.  As  we  said  before,  so  say  I 
now  again.  If  any  man  preach  any  other  gospel  unto  you 
than  that  ye  have  received,  let  him  be  anathema." — Oala- 
tians  i.  8  and  9. 

The  gospel  for  both  worlds !  It  is  no  new  in- 
vention :  it  offers  no  new  terms  of  salvation ;  but 
it  is  the  same  dear  gospel  of  salvation  through 
the  atoning  blood  and  the  redeeming  grace  of  the 
Saviour  who  has  died  for  me.  There  is  no  other 
availing  gospel,  as  Paul  declares  in  the  previous 
verse.  Peter  also  testifies,  "  Neither  is  there  sal- 
vation in  any  other :  for  there  is  none  other  name 
under  heaven  given  among  men  whereby  ye 
MUST  be  saved." 

Nobody  saves  but  Jesus.  Others  may  counsel, 
instruct,  appeal,  command;  but  only  Jesus  saves. 
On  a  Tyrolese  pulpit  a  carved  wooden  arm  holds 
out  the  cross.  Nothing  is  worth  the  name  of 
gospel  preaching  that  doesn't  do  that. 

Outside  of  Christ,  there  is  no  availing  gospel 
in  morality,  for  morality  cannot  take  away  the 
1 


a  GOSPEL  FOR  BOTH  WORLDS 

condemnation  for  past  misdeed:  there  is  no  gos- 
pel in  culture;  for  culture  cannot  regenerate  the 
inclination  of  an  evil  heart:  there  is  no  gospel 
in  social  service  unaccompanied  with  the  spirit 
of  Christ:  there  is  no  gospel  in  religious  ob- 
servance ;  for  none  can  reconcile  his  own  —  much 
less  another's  —  soul  with  God. 

**  Could  my  zeal  no  respite  know; 
Could  my  tears  forever  flow; 
These  for  sin  could  not  atone: 
Thou  must  save,  and  Thou  alone.'* 

It  is  such  an  old-fashioned  sounding  gospel, 
that  we  feel  almost  embarrassed  by  our  singu- 
larity in  standing  for  it.  Everything  else,  al- 
most, is  being  preached  to-day ;  but  nothing  else 
is  worth  a  rush  to  save  a  sinner's  soul.  It  is 
the  faith  of  our  fathers:  it  is  the  everlasting 
gospel.  As  Theodore  Cuyler  suggests,  it  is 
built  like  the  Eddystone  lighthouse,  upon  the 
rock  of  ages.  It  has  breasted  the  storms  of 
centuries.  It  has  guided  millions  safe  into  the 
port  of  heaven.  Other  lights  have  flickered  for 
their  hour  here  and  there.  Enthusiasts  have 
lighted  their  beacons;  wreckers  have  displayed 
their  false  signals;  but  when  these  go  out  in  the 
night,  the  gospel  of  God's  mercy  through  Christ 
shines  on  and  saves. 

This  is  the  true  Light,  which  lighteth  every 
man  that  cometh  into  the  world.  The  publican 
who  had  never  heard  of  Jesus,  but  cried,  "  God 


THE  ONLY  GOSPEL  3 

be  merciful  to  me  a  sinner !  "  the  psalmist  who 
foresaw  little  of  God's  plan  of  salvation,  but 
prayed,  "  Have  mercy  upon  me,  O  God,  accord- 
ing to  thy  loving  kindness:  according  unto  the 
multitude  of  thy  tender  mercies  blot  out  my 
transgressions  "  :  these  were  justified  and  saved 
by  the  merits  of  the  Christ  who  had  not  yet  died 
for  their  sin.  He  who  from  darkest  heathenism 
calls  by  any  name  —  Jehovah,  Allah,  Vishnu  — 
upon  God  for  pardon  and  help  to  live  anew  is 
saved  by  the  one  Mediator  between  God  and 
man  —  whom  he  will  recognize  and  adore  in 
Paradise.  The  man  whose  honest  thinking  has 
not  yet  brought  him  to  the  foot  of  the  cross; 
but  who  believes  in  duty  and  kindness,  and,  even 
unconsciously,  makes  his  life  a  prayer  of  righteous 
effort,  this  man  will  be  saved  by  virtue  of  the 
grace  of  God  in  the  indwelling  Christ  whom  he 
does  not  yet  fully  understand. 

For  a  race  of  entirely  correct  people,  such  as 
we  are  not,  there  might  be  some  message  of  good 
news  in  God's  general  benignancy  worthy  of 
being  called  in  some  weak  way  a  gospel;  but  for 
sheer  sinners  like  us,  how  can  there  be  any  good 
news,  how  can  there  be  any  gospel,  how  can  there 
be  any  glad  tidings,  until  our  guilty,  sin-loving 
souls  come  under  the  blood,  the  precious  blood  of 
Christ  which  cleanseth  from  all  sin? 

**  When  wounded  sore  the  stricken  soul 
Lies  helpless  and  unbound, 


4»  GOSPEL  FOR  BOTH  WORLDS 

One  only  hand,  a  pierced  hand, 
Can  salve  the  sinner's  wound. 

When  penitence  has  wept  in  vain 

Over  some  foul,  dark  spot; 
One  only  stream,  a  stream  of  blood. 

Can  cleanse  away  the  blot. 

Lift  up  Thy  bleeding  hand,  O  Lord; 

Unseal  that  cleansing  flood; 
We  have  no  solvent  for  our  sin. 

But  Thine  own  precious  blood.'* 

It  may  not  be  so  much  what  we  can  do  to 
please  God;  but  what  Christ  does  for  us  and 
in  us  and  with  us  that  saves  us.  A  Scotch  lad 
presented  himself  before  the  elders  for  admission 
to  the  church.  They  hesitated  by  reason  of  his 
youth,  but  reluctantly  concluded  to  examine  him, 
and    began    with    the    subject    of    regeneration. 

"  Do  you  think,  Sammy,"  said  the  pastor,  "  that 
you  have  been  bom  again  ?  "  "  I  think  I  have," 
was  his  answer.  "  Well,  if  so,  whose  work  was 
that.?  "  "  Oh,  God  did  a  part,  and  I  did  a  part." 
The  elders  around  shook  their  heads.  But  the 
minister  asked  again,  still  kindly.  "  Ah,  what 
part  did  you  do,  Sammy?"  "Why,  I  opposed 
God  all  I  could ;  and  He  did  the  rest." 

Will  you  think  me  exceedingly  narrow  and  re- 
actionary if  I  suggest  that  this  is  a  religious 
experience,  however  oddly  expressed,  which  may 
really  be  worth  something.?  That  is  because  it  is 
founded  upon  something. 


THE  ONLY  GOSPEL  5 

Does  it  ever  occur  to  us  that  we  may  be  just 
a  bit  condescending  toward  the  Almighty  in  our 
modem  type  of  conversion?  We  make  what  we 
call  a  "  decision  for  Christ "  in  some  casual  way. 
Perhaps  we  sign  a  card  stating  succinctly  that 
we  desire  hereafter  to  *  lead  a  Christian  life.' 
Then  we  join  some  church,  and  the  incident  is 
closed. 

Consciously  or  unconsciously,  true  conversion 
is  perhaps  nine-tenths  passive.  We  turn,  and 
become  converted.  We  yield  ourselves  trem- 
blingly to  God's  mighty  grace.  "  For  by  grace 
are  ye  saved  through  faith,  and  that  not  of  your- 
selves ;  it  is  the  gift  of  God." 

Dear  friends,  what  are  we  trusting  in.?  Our 
own  fickle,  changeful  choice  of  God.?  God  pity 
us!  is  there  any  sure  gospel  or  good  news  in 
that.?  We  are  but  clinging  to  the  edge  of  a 
granite  cliff  —  by  our  numb  finger-tips.  But 
what  are  we  trusting  in?  Our  serene  ability  to 
follow  the  example  of  Jesus?  We  say  we  ad- 
mire and  love  his  character  (with  a  conscien- 
tiously small  "h")  and  we  intend  to  follow  him 
whithersoever  he  goeth.  Then,  perhaps,  next 
week,  or  the  week  after,  we  may  be  admiring  and 
loving  the  example  of  Buddha,  or  of  Swami 
Vivekananda,  or  Omar  Khayyam,  or  Mrs.  Eddy, 
and  following  that?  Where  is  the  gospel  in  all 
this.^ 

But  what  are  we  trusting  in,  anyway?  Our 
moral   advantages,   our   ethical   culture?     There 


6  GOSPEL  FOR  BOTH  WORLDS 

have  been  found  men  with  equally   good  begin- 
nings in  the  state  penitentiary. 

These  ropes  of  straw  may  seem  for  a  time  to 
meet  the  easy  conditions  of  our  easy  terrestrial 
life:  are  we  ready  to  trust  in  them  for  eternity? 
Do  we  crave  no  arms  of  a  living  God,  no  arms 
of  a  personal  Saviour  about  us  as  we  swing  out 
over  the  abyss?  How  long  will  our  soul's  house 
of  a  fine-seeming,  self-centered  character 
stand  when  the  winds  of  eternity  blow,  when  its 
rains  descend,  when  its  floods  come  and  beat 
upon  it?  Is  it  not  founded  upon  the  sand?  But 
our  sin!  What  will  we  do  with  that?  The  sin 
which  perhaps  we  have  forgotten:  the  sin  we 
smile  about  to-day.  Will  just  following  the 
beautiful  example  of  Jesus  for  an  eternity  wipe 
away  that  black  score?  Will  it  take  the  weight 
and  the  condemnation  off  our  soul?  Will  it  am- 
putate that  importunate  arm  of  the  soul  which 
creeps  out  and  reaches  after  evil?  Dear  friends, 
there  is  only  one  gospel,  and  I  am  not  ashamed 
to  tell  you  this  morning  what  I  am  trusting  in. 
I  am  trusting  in  a  God  who  is  greater  than  my 
heart  and  knoweth  all  things;  who  when  I  con- 
fess my  sin  is  faithful  and  just  to  forgive  my 
sin  and  to  cleanse  me  from  all  unrighteousness. 
He  is  faithful  and  just  to  do  it;  because  His 
own  dear  Son,  very  God  of  very  God,  has  borne 
my  sin  in  His  own  body  on  the  cross  of  Calvary. 
Believing  on  Him,  we  are  saved  for  time  and 
saved  for  eternity.     We  no  longer  need  to  think 


THE  ONLY  GOSPEL  7 

of  hunting  up  something  in  our  record  that  we 
may  present  it  at  heaven's  gate.  Jesus  says 
"  I  am  the  way,  the  truth,  and  the  life :  no  man 
Cometh  unto  the  Father  but  by  me." 

Is  anything  else  truly  Christianity  but  this 
—  unless  it  be  by  unconscious  assimilation  ?  No 
religion  is  wider  than  ours  in  its  genial  influence, 
none  narrower  in  its  one  essential.  "  Other 
foundation  can  no  man  lay  than  that  is  laid,  which 
is  Christ  Jesus." 

**0n  Christ  the  solid  rock  I  stand; 
All  other  ground  is  sinking  sand.** 

What  else  is  there  to  stand  surely  upon  in 
this  world  or  the  next.?  If  then  there  is  to  be 
a  gospel  and  a  gospel  message  in  both  worlds, 
as,  by  the  help  of  God's  Spirit,  I  hope  easily  to 
prove  in  succeeding  sermons  of  this  series ;  then 
it  can  only  be  the  same  gospel  of  life  and  mercy 
in  Christ.  No  man  can  be  saved  in  this  world, 
and  no  man  can  be  saved  in  the  next  world,  by 
simply  following  the  light  of  nature  to  the  ex- 
tent of  doing  the  best  he  knows  how.  That  is 
simply  because  he  doesn't,  you  know.  Dante 
has  inscribed  over  the  gateway  of  his  Inferno 
the  sentence,  "  Ye  knew  your  duty,  and  ye  did  it 
not."  That  takes  us  all  in;  except  as  this  or 
that  one  is  trusting  in  the  only  Saviour  of  sin- 
ners. No  salvation  for  the  heathen  in  this  world 
or    the    next,    no    salvation    for    anyone    except 


8  GOSPEL  FOR  BOTH  WORLDS 

by  knowing  Christ,  whom  to  know  is  life  eter- 
nal. 

Does  any  man  think  he  can  sow  his  wild  oats 
here,  and  perhaps  reform  in  hell?  Reform  in 
Satan's  inner  kingdom,  with  the  uplifting  influ- 
ences slighted  here  withdrawn,  with  the  society 
of  the  good  and  pure  withdrawn,  with  the  deadly 
delusion  and  fascination  and  delirium  of  sin  a 
million  fold  strengthened  upon  his  soul?  Do 
we  send  our  boys  to  Five  Points  or  Leadville  to 
reform?  Standing  upon  hell's  pavement  made 
of  earth's  broken  resolutions,  will  any  man  be 
inspired  to  make  more  and  keep  them?  How 
long  would  it  take  him  to  climb  from  hell  to 
heaven  in  the  strength  of  his  own  dogged  reso- 
lution, without  a  sigh  of  penitence,  without  a 
prayer  for  grace  to  overcome?  The  moralist's 
hell  may  be  as  hopeless  as  that  of  the  renegade; 
if  it  is  equally  exclusive  of  the  grace  of  God 
that  bringeth  salvation. 

On  the  other  hand,  that  there  is  any  essen- 
tial limitation  in  the  gospel  of  Christ  by  reason 
of  which  it  could  not  avail,  God  willing,  to  save 
penitents  in  hell  as  well  as  on  earth,  who  will 
affirm?  Christ  tasted  death  for  every  man.  He 
is  able  to  save  unto  the  uttermost  all  who  come 
unto  God  through  Him.  If  He  can  save  men 
on  the  Bowery,  or  women  on  Bleeker  St. ;  He 
can  save  them  in  hell. 

An  account  by  Mrs.  Whittemore  of  the  "  Door 
of  Hope  "  has  for  its  frontispiece  two  portraits  of 


THE  ONLY  GOSPEL  9 

the  same  face.  The  first  is  of  a  young  woman 
as  she  came  to  them,  a  face  prematurely  haggard 
and  weazened  in  vice  and  crime,  shameless,  hard, 
depraved  in  every  line,  wretched  beyond  belief 
and  blear-eyed  with  debauchery.  The  com- 
panion picture  is  of  the  same  face  two  years 
later  —  a  modest,  intelligent,  spiritual  woman, 
beautiful  in  her  penitence,  radiant  in  the  joy 
of  a  soul  made  new.  A  greater  transformation 
could  hardly  be  conceived  either  here  or  in  hell, 
and  our  Saviour  is  working  these  transformations 
day  by  day. 

Surely  He  would  yearn  to  work  them  in 
eternity.  He  is  the  same  yesterday,  to-day  and 
forever.  By  every  instinct  and  impulse  of  His 
nature.  He  is  eternally  a  saviour.  He  could  not 
be  content  to  suffer  and  die  for  small  results. 
Predicting  His  death  upon  the  cross,  Jesus  de- 
clared "  And  I,  if  I  be  lifted  up  from  the  earth, 
will  draw  all  unto  me."  Thank  God!  He 
simply  said,  "  ALL."  Not  only  all  men  but  all 
spirits  of  the  universe,  all  demons  of  hell.  Give 
Him  time;  and  see. 

On  two  recent  occasions  our  thoughts  have  been 
turned  to  the  text,  "  How  shall  we  escape,  if 
we  neglect  so  great  salvation?  "  To-day  it 
comes  to  us  with  the  possibility  of  a  new  mean- 
ing. So  great  salvation !  so  great  salvation ! 
We  know  not  how  great  it  may  be.  Probably 
it  is  greater  than  we  have  ever  dreamed  — 
longer,    broader,    deeper.     If    Christ's    salvation 


10        GOSPEL  FOR  BOTH  WORLDS 

were  some  small,  partial,  changeable  thing;  we 
might  be  excused  for  neglecting  it,  we  might 
scorn  to  bother  with  it.  But  if  it  is  held  out 
steadily,  consistently,  yearningly  through  the 
ages ;  of  how  much  greater  condenmation  shall 
we  be  worthy  for  neglecting  it!  It  may  be  a 
small  matter  to  miss  a  trolley  car;  but  a  serious 
one  to  miss  an  ocean  liner.  So  great  salvation 
—  the  only,  the  infinite,  the  eternal.  It  is  of- 
fered to  you  and  to  me  to-day.  We  neglect  it 
at  our  unspeakable  peril.  Now  is  the  accepted 
time:  now  is  the  day  of  salvation.  Turn  ye, 
turn  ye ;  for  why  will  ye  die  ? 


II 

THE  EVERLASTING  GOSPEL 

"  And  I  saw  another  angel  fly  in  the  midst  of  heaven, 
having  the  everlasting  gospel  to  preach  unto  them  that 
dwell  on  the  earth,  and  to  every  nation  and  kindred  and 
tongue  and  people." — Revelation  xiv,  6» 

In  the  Greek  there  is  no  article,  either  definite 
or  indefinite,  in  our  text,  and  the  word  ever- 
lasting —  as  everywhere  else  but  in  one  passage 
of  the  New  Testament  —  means  simply  seonian 
or  '*  age-lasting."  John  writes,  "  I  saw  another 
angel  flying  in  mid-heaven  having  asonian  glad 
tidings."  This  gospel  of  our  blessed  Bible, 
which  I  tried  to  outline  last  Sabbath  is  indeed 
seonian,  age-lasting  glad  tidings.  It  is  good 
news  for  the  eternities.  It  is  the  everlasting 
gospel  — 

First:  In  its  efficiency  fob  the  everlast- 
ing SALVATION  OF  THE  INDIVIDUAL,  SOUL* 

This  is  the  «  old  time  religion.'  It  is  999,000 
millionths  of  vital  Christianity.  It  is  the  element 
of  our  sacred  religion  which  perhaps  we  hear 
least  about  from  the  pulpits  of  to-day;  yet  it  is 
infinitely  the  element  of  greatest  power,  of  great- 
est consequence,  or  greatest  meaning.  Our 
fathers  in  the  ministry  stood  in  the  pulpit  and 
thundered  forth  eternity!  eternity!  eternity! 
11 


12        GOSPEL  FOR  BOTH  WORLDS 

For  us  to  do  less  Is  to  betray  by  silence  our  lack 
of  a  strong  conviction  of  the  Immortality  of  the 
human  soul.  If  we  believe  that  men  are  to  live 
forever  — -  this  man  and  that  man  and  every  man 
—  what  else  Is  there  on  God's  earth  to  talk 
about,  and  pray  over,  and  wrestle  for  but  their 
eternal  salvation?  We  glory  in  the  influence 
of  Christianity,  for  better  conditions  In  this 
world,  we  exalt  its  high  ideal  of  human  brother- 
hood, we  pray  continually,  "  Thy  kingdom  come, 
Thy  will  be  done  on  earth  as  it  is  in  heaven  "  ; 
yet  take  out  of  our  religion  its  claim  alone  to 
provide  a  way  of  eternal  salvation  for  immortal 
souls;  and  you  do  not  leave  in  it  power  to  per- 
manently lift  men  one  half  inch  on  earth.  If 
there  is  no  future  life  with  its  eternal  choice  for 
heaven  or  hell;  why  should  I  be  fool  enough  to 
bother  over  questions  of  right  or  wrong,  much 
less  over  anything  that  bears  the  name  of  reli- 
gion.? Let  me  get  the  most  out  of  my  little 
insect  life  here,  like  any  other  animal.  Let 
each  live  for  self  in  the  most  enlightened  way  he 
can.  Down  with  your  Christllkeness,  down 
with  your  high  ideals:  let  us  eat  and  drink,  for 
to-morrow  we  die. 

Such  audience  as  Christianity  has  in  our 
modern  world,  it  holds  because  it  still  has  now 
and  then,  here  and  there,  a  word  about  eternity; 
because  among  the  million  busy  thoughts  of  men 
one  goes  now  and  then,  here  and  there,  ques- 
tioningly,  wonderingly  out  upon  the  future  life. 


THE  EVERLASTING  GOSPEL        13 

For  one  soul  and  another  Christ's  gospel  is  still 
an  everlasting  gospel;  it  is  profitable  not  only 
for  the  life  which  now  is,  but  for  that  which  is 
to  come.  It  is  a  gospel  for  both  worlds  to  our 
own  individual  souls.  We  believe  in  it;  we  love 
it;  we  are  ready  to  lose  all  for  it;  because  it 
extends  our  outlook  beyond  this  little,  meager 
life;  because  it  lifts  our  life  here  to  the  dignity 
of  a  pilgrim's  progress ;  because  it  cures  the 
homesickness  of  the  soul;  because  it  makes  the 
humblest  lot  rich  in  hope,  because  it  clears  up 
every  mystery  of  want  and  pain  and  sorrow  with 
the  confidence  of  a  new  beginning  beyond. 

This  hope  we  have  as  an  anchor  of  the  soul, 
both  sure  and  steadfast,  and  that  entereth  into 
that  within  the  veil.  Jesus  saves  me,  and  He 
saves  me  for  both  worlds.  He  lifts  me  out  of 
hell  on  earth.  He  saves  me  eternally  from  hell 
beyond,  and  makes  every  day  of  my  little  life 
here  glad  in  the  light  of  heaven.  This  is  the 
Saviour  I  need,  a  Saviour  for  eternity,  One 
who  has  already  prepared  a  place  for  me  in 
His  Father's  house  of  many  mansions.  One  who 
is  coming  for  me  at  the  end  of  my  earthly  life 
to  receive  me  unto  Himself,  that  where  He  is 
there  I  may  be  also.  Without  Him  I  cannot 
live ;  for  without  Him  I  dare  not  die.  He  is  my 
only  hope  for  time  and  for  eternity.  He  that 
hath  the  Son  hath  life,  and  he  that  hath  not 
the  Son  of  God  hath  not  hfe.  With  a  living 
faith  in  the  living  Christ,  it  is  a  blessed  thing 


14       GOSPEL  FOR  BOTH  WORLDS 

to  live,  and  a  more  blessed  thing  to  die.  We  en- 
joy living  as  no  one  else  can  enjoy  it;  and  what 
is  a  good  deal  more,  we  expect  to  enjoy  dying 
too  — 

"  Jesus  can  make  the  dying  bed 
As  soft  as  downy  pillows  are; 
While  on  His  breast  I  lean  my  head. 

And  breathe  my  life  out  sweetly  there." 

Life!  life!  life!  this  is  the  thing  we  crave  — 
fuller,  gladder,  richer,  sweeter,  longer  even  to 
eternity:  It  is  the  infatuation  of  living  that 
makes  fools  forget  eternity,  makes  the  wise  re- 
member it.  Jesus  came  that  we  might  have  life, 
that  we  might  have  it  more  abundantly  here; 
simply  because  we  have  it  consciously  as  a  little 
beginning  of  life  hereafter. 

**  Thou  of  life  the  fountain  art; 
Freely  let  me  take  of  Thee : 
Spring  Thou  up  within  my  heart. 
Rise  to  all  eternity." 

I  said  that  this  gospel,  eternal  in  its  offer  of 
eternal  salvation  for  the  individual  soul,  explains 
all  the  mysteries  of  life,  makes  up  for  its  want, 
and  pain,  and  sorrow.  I  spoke  too  fast.  It 
might,  if  each  of  us  lived  and  died  only  to  liimself. 
But  we  are  bound  in  one  bundle  of  life:  a 
thousand  cords  unite  us  heart  to  heart:  heaven 
itself  cannot  satisfy  each  for  himself  alone.  The 
soul  that  has  found  Christ,  and  finding  Christ, 


THE  EVERLASTING  GOSPEL        15 

has  found  heaven ;  is  still  unsatisfied  until  other 
related  souls  have  found  Christ  and  heaven  too. 
Heaven  will  not  be  heaven  to  us  without  our 
loved  ones.  And  as  our  hearts  broaden  in  the 
love  of  Christ,  a  greater  and  greater  number  of 
people  come  within  our  sphere  of  those  we  could 
not  bear  eternally  to  miss  from  heaven.  Think 
of  all  the  people  you  know:  how  many  of  them 
could  you  quite  contentedly  and  to  all  eternity ; 
if  it  were  God's  will ;  miss  from  heaven  ?  Is  there 
one.?  is  there  one.?  is  there  one.?  Then  where 
is  your  Christlikeness .?  The  man  who  has 
wronged  you  most:  the  woman  you  have  most 
cause  to  dislike  —  could  you  altogether  en j  oy 
heaven  knowing  that  that  one  was  writhing  hope- 
lessly in  hell.?  You  might  stand  it  a  thousand 
years;  but  now  you  are  starting  on  your  second 
thousand,  knowing  that  this  too  is  only  one 
breath  of  eternity:  can  you  forget  Mrs.  Jones; 
can  you  get  poor  Mr.  Brown  out  of  your  mind? 
There  is  one  soul  you  know  hopeless  forever  in 
hell.  There  is  no  grudge  in  your  heart  against 
it.  Heaven  wouldn't  be  heaven,  if  you  could 
bear  a  grudge  there.  The  sore  spot  he  or  she 
made  in  your  heart  has  long  been  soothed  in 
heaven's  sea  of  love  and  rest.  There  is  no 
refuge  for  you  in  indifference  to  that  soul's 
fate.  Could  heaven  be  heaven  to  a  soul  indiffer- 
ent to  the  fate  of  one  other  soul.?  Suppose  you 
saw  your  crudest  enemy  pinioned  in  a  wrecked 
and   burning   railroad  train:   suppose   that   face 


16        GOSPEL  FOR  BOTH  WORLDS 

writhing  in  its  agony  turned  toward  you? 
Could  you  bear  to  look,  could  you  bear  not  to 
look  without  tearing  at  those  burning  timbers 
even  with  bare  hands  if  only  you  could  save? 
Jesus  on  the  cross  prayed,  "  Father  forgive 
them,  for  they  know  not  what  they  do :  "  what 
would  the  cry  of  your  soul  in  heaven  be  to  God 
for  your  worst  enemy  languishing  in  hell? 

And  if  for  him;  what  for  the  fourteen  hun- 
dred million  neighbors  of  ours  living  on  this 
planet  to-day:  what  for  all  the  equal  numbers 
of  generations  gone  before  —  each  one  your  un- 
known brother,  sister  —  with  like  sorrows,  like 
joys  —  needing  Christ  just  as  you;  yet  knowing 
Him  so  little  or  never  at  all?  What  would  your 
irrepressible  cry  to  God  be  for  each  of  these, 
until  it  was  shown  you  that  the  last  one  was  to 
be  saved? 

Lives  touch  lives  strangely  in  God's  world. 
There  is  no  dark  problem  for  one  life  that  sooner 
or  later  is  not  a  problem  for  all.  No  life  of 
all  the  million  millions  can  be  so  glad  with  one 
life  marred.  It  is  glorious  to  be  one  of  God's 
elect;  but  surely  He  whose  name  is  love  could 
not  elect  any  soul  to  an  eternal  selfishness 
shrugging  its  shoulders  contentedly  on  the  brink 
of  another's  hell.  Would  the  gospel  of  its  own 
eternal  salvation  be  altogether  glad  tidings  of 
great  joy,  would  it  be  an  eternal,  asonian  gospel, 
all-satisfying,  everlasting,  with  now  and  then  the 
faint  echo  of  a  groan  coming  from  distant  hell? 


THE  EVERLASTING  GOSPEL        17 

Thank  God!  the  plain  message  of  His  whole 
Word,  as  we  shall  search  for  it  here  during  the 
coming  Sabbaths,  does  not  leave  us  to  contemplate 
such  eternal  despair.  The  gospel  of  Christ  is 
truly  an  everlasting  gospel  not  only  in  its  effi- 
ciency for  the  everlasting  salvation  of  the  in- 
dividual soul;  but  — 

Second:  It  is  everlasting  in  its  offer 
of  salvation  to  lost  and  perishing  souls. 

John  says,  "  I  saw  an  angel  flying  in  mid- 
heaven  having  seonian  glad  tidings  to  proclaim 
unto  them  that  dwell  on  the  earth  and  unto  every 
nation,  and  tribe,  and  tongue,  and  people." 
And  so  the  angel  proclaimed  to  the  shepherds, 
"  Behold,  I  bring  you  glad  tidings  of  great  joy 
which  shall  be  to  all  the  people." 

Let  me  say  in  the  start  that  I  sympathize  earn- 
estly with  those  earnest  minds  to  whom  this 
broader,  longer  gospel  brings  a  shock  of  fear 
and  of  incredulity.  It  seems  almost  too  good 
to  be  true.  The  very  relief  of  its  waking 
causes  a  recoil  back  toward  the  old  nightmare. 
The  question  rises  very  quickly:  if  then  there  is 
to  be  no  limit  to  the  offers  of  God's  mercy  in 
Christ  Jesus ;  if  indeed,  In  this  sense  too  It  Is  an 
everlasting  gospel,  eternally  to  be  extended  as 
long  as  there  are  perishing  souls ;  how  then  can 
we  hope  to  bring  men  to  a  repentance  which 
may  be  postponed  indefinitely  without  losing  its 
final  opportunity.? 


18        GOSPEL  FOR  BOTH  WORLDS 

There  is  no  truth  of  God's  word  so  plain  or 
so  sacred  but  some  unstable  ones  have  wrested 
it  unto  their  own  destruction.  Let  us,  neverthe- 
less, look  for  truth  gravely,  fearlessly,  and  for 
the  love  of  what  is  true.  If  this  doctrine  of 
seonian  salvation  is  true  and  there  is  both 
Scripture  and  reason  to  support  it;  then  we 
need  have  no  fear  but  that  it  will  work  good  and 
not  evil.  A  calculating  timidity,  it  is  not  really 
the  strongest  element  in  man's  nature.  We  can 
find  better  stuff  than  this  in  men  to  which  we 
may  appeal.  There  may  be  one  thing  worse 
than  to  lose  the  hold  upon  men's  fears  which 
the  preaching  of  a  probation  limited  to  the 
mortal  life  once  maintained.  This  would  be  to 
retain  in  our  creed  a  doctrine  so  harsh,  so  un- 
true to  God's  nature,  that  we  find  it  impossible 
to  preach  it,  and  thus  are  driven  into  a  silence 
on  the  whole  subject  of  futurity  which  men  may 
interpret  as  betraying  a  lack  of  any  firm  con- 
viction of  the  reality  of  a  future  life  at  all. 

There  remains  in  the  minds  of  many  to-day 
just  enough  nervousness  about  the  old  bug-a-boo 
of  a  hopeless  hell  to  render  them  unwilling  to 
think  at  all  on  the  subject.  The  very  word  is 
tabooed,  as  it  certainly  would  not  be  if  people 
really  believed  in  an  endless  hell  yawning  by 
the  brink  of  every  unbelieving  grave.  For  the 
peril  of  souls,  let  us  hold  definitely  to  one  out- 
look or  the  other.  The  evangelist  Finney  before 
his  conversion  often  found  his  patience  tried 'by 


THE  EVERLASTING  GOSPEL        19 

the  inconsistencies  of  those  who  dwelt  at  ease 
in  Zion  with  the  claims  of  their  soul-stirring  be- 
liefs. Once  when  there  was  a  presbytery,  asso- 
ciation, conference  or  some  other  ecclesiastical 
gathering  in  his  town,  the  meeting  with  so  many 
white  neck-ties  under  smiling  faces  upon  the 
streets  so  wore  upon  Finney's  nerves;  that  com- 
ing upon  a  deacon  whom  he  knew,  he  took  him 
by  the  lapels  of  his  coat  and  shook  him  vigorously. 
"  You're  a  hypocrite !  "  he  fiercely  ej  aculated. 
"  You're  a  hypocrite !  If  I  believed  that  a  lot 
of  the  unconverted  people  of  this  town  were 
going  straight  down  to  endless  hell;  I'd  go 
howling  through  these  streets,  but  that  I'd  save 
some  of  them." 

Nowadays,  people  object  to  hearing  a  preacher 
shout ;  but  friends,  the  reality  of  things  sometimes 
compels  it.  I  do  believe  in  hell:  age-lasting, 
soul-scathing,  scorpion-stung,  worm-gnawed, 
fire-tortured,  unquenchable,  non-escapable,  nerve- 
racking,  blood-curdling,  dreary  as  doubt,  rasp- 
ing as  rebellion,  cruel  as  crime,  sour  as  selfish- 
ness, livid  as  lust,  and  hideous  as  hate.  But  in 
the  midst  of  that  vision  of  hell,  which  else  I 
could  not  bear  to  look  upon,  I  see  One  crowned 
with  thorns,  spear-pierced,  nail-scarred,  the 
World's  eternal  Redeemer,  saving,  saving,  sav- 
ing as  long  as  hell  lasts,  or  one  lost  soul  is  left 
to  save. 

The  great  Swiss  reformer,  Zwingli,  was  priest 
at  Einsiedeln  when  the  light  of  the  gospel  broke 


£0        GOSPEL  FOR  BOTH  WORLDS 

in  upon  his  soul.  In  that  place  was  the  shrine 
of  *  Our  Lady  of  Einsiedeln  '  which  had  great 
repute  for  the  forgiveness  of  sins.  Over  a  gate 
of  the  city  was  inscribed,  "  Hie  est  plena  re- 
missio  omnium  pecatorum  " — "  Full  forgive- 
ness of  all  sins  to  be  had  here."  And  much  of 
the  revenue  which  supported  church  and  priest 
came  from  the  pilgrims  to  her  shrine,  not  only 
from  Switzerland,  but  from  the  whole  of  southern 
Germany.  But  Zwingli  began  to  tell  the  pil- 
grims boldly,  "  Go  back  to  your  homes :  only 
Jesus  saves,  and  He  saves  everywhere."  God 
give  us  equal  boldness,  with  widened  horizon  of 
view,  to  declare  the  glorious  truth,  "  Only  Jesus 
saves,  and  He  saves  everywhere."  Yes,  down  in 
hell.  He  is  able  to  save  unto  the  uttermost  all 
who  come  unto  God  through  Him.  It  is  His 
very  nature  to  be  an  eternal  Saviour. 

"  Dear  dying  Lamb^,  Thy  precious  blood 
Shall  never  lose  its  power; 
Till  all  the  ransomed  church  of  God 
Are  saved  to  sin  no  more." 

This  is  the  everlasting  gospel:  this  is  the 
aeonian  glad  tidings  which  the  angel  of  evan- 
gelism flying  in  mid  heaven  has  to  bear  to  the 
outermost  rim  of  God's  moral  universe.  Would 
anything  else  be  an  everlasting  gospel?  Would 
it  be  an  everlasting  gospel  that  Jesus  came  to 
save  a  millionth  part  of  the  immortal  souls  that 
have  flitted  or  are  to  flit  across  the  stage  of  earth, 


THE  EVERLASTING  GOSPEL        21 

and  then  to  leave  the  others  unsaved  to  their 
eternal  fate?  Would  it  be  an  everlasting  gospel 
that  Christ's  saving  power  was  to  be  known  by 
a  very  few  for  eternity ;  and  dimly  felt  by  myri- 
ads to  whom  He  has  been  little  more  than  a 
name  for  only  the  average  of  their  thirty  years 
of  mortal  life,  and  then  never  felt  again  for  com- 
plete salvation  in  the  life  beyond?  Was  it  for 
this  that  He  poured  out  His  infinite  soul  unto 
death  on  Calvary  ?  Or  was  it  for  this  larger  hope 
of  eternal  life,  which  God  that  cannot  lie  prom- 
ised before  the  times  of  the  ages ;  but  hath  in  due 
times  made  His  word  plain  through  preaching 
which  is  committed  also  unto  me? 

Paul  prays  for  the  Ephesian  Christians  that 
they  being  rooted  and  grounded  in  love  may  be 
able  to  comprehend  with  all  saints  what  is  the 
length  of  the  love  of  Christ.  Only  love  can  in- 
terpret love.  We  know  this  that  His  love  cannot 
be  shorter  than  our  own,  and  is  there  one  here 
who  does  not  still  love  some  who,  in  spite  of  our 
prayers  and  efforts,  have  gone  unconverted  into 
eternity  ?  Oh,  pray  on  for  them,  pray  on !  Show 
me  a  verse  in  all  God's  blessed  Word  which  for- 
bids us  to  pray  on !  Perhaps,  in  God's  sure  plan 
to  answer  prayer,  we  may  be  the  very  ones  who 
may  be  sent  yet  to  save  that  loved  and  wandering 
soul.  We  may  believe  that  this  gospel  of  Christ's 
atoning  love  is  an  everlasting  gospel  — 


22        GOSPEL  FOR  BOTH  WORLDS 

Third:    Because    it    is    a    gospel    to    be 
peeached  throughout  the  ages  to  come. 

If  men  are  to  be  saved  in  eternity,  they  are 
to  be  saved  in  the  one  only  way  by  repentance 
toward  God  and  faith  toward  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ.  But  how  shall  they  believe  in  Him  of 
whom  they  have  not  heard,  and  how  shall  they 
hear  without  a  preacher?  It  has  been  Christ's 
way  through  ages  past  to  show  Himself  to  men 
as  other  men  who  loved  their  souls  spoke  of  Him 
to  them.  He  waits  for  our  introduction.  He 
could  show  Himself  in  a  flash  to  all  on  earth,  to  all 
in  hell;  but  the  analogy  of  all  the  past  shows 
that  part  of  the  responsibility  for  lost  souls 
knowing  Christ  will  still  in  eternity  be  upon  the 
kindred  souls  who  love  them  best.  We  have  this 
treasure  in  earthen  vessels;  that  the  excellency 
of  this  power  may  be  of  God  and  not  of  men. 
It  was  said  of  a  missionary  who  toiled  long  in 
Africa,  to  come  back  with  shattered  health  and 
few  sheaves  won  for  Christ,  that  he  had  achieved 
character,  the  greatest  boon  of  all.  Do  not  some 
of  us  well-fed,  easy-going  Christians  need  to 
achieve  character  too?  When  we  have  done  our 
pleasant  best  on  earth  ;  may  not  that  chief  est  boon 
come  to  us  yet  through  mission  work  in  hell? 
The  angel  flying  in  mid-heaven  symbolizes  an 
evangelism  wide  as  the  universe,  lasting  as  its 
need.  One  of  the  speakers  for  the  Laymen's 
Missionary  Movement  has  been  saying  that  the 


THE  EVERLASTING  GOSPEL        23 

great  essential  for  the  missionary  pastor  —  the 
man  who  from  his  home  pulpit  is  to  set  hearts 
aglow  for  the  world-conquest  of  Christianity,  is 
not  necessarily  to  have  his  mind  richly  stored  with 
up-to-date  missionary  information ;  but  that  what 
he  needs  most  is  to  have  the  world-vision  in  his 
soul.  I  am  wondering  if  what  is  needed  above  all, 
both  by  the  missionary  in  the  hugeness  of  his 
task,  and  by  the  home  pastor  to  give  his  preach- 
ing the  supreme  thrill  and  fervor,  the  fulness  of 
the  blessing  of  the  gospel  of  Christ  —  if  what 
each  needs  supremely  is  not  the  greater  world- 
vision,  the  cosmic  outlook  —  to  have  the  whole- 
ness of  God's  sentient  universe  often  in  his  soul. 
The  field  is  the  kosmos.  There  is  sowing  and 
reaping  for  you  and  for  me  broader  and  longer 
than  perhaps  we  yet  have  dreamed. 

The  Father  sent  the  Son  to  be  the  Saviour  of 
the  universe.  So  we  read  in  plain  Greek.  And 
so  Charles  Wesley  has  sung  — 

"  My  dear  Redeemer  and  my  God, 
I  stake  my  soul  on  Thy  Free  Grace; 
Take  back  my  interest  in  Thy  blood, 
Unless  it  streamed  for  all  the  race. 
I  stake  my  soul  on  this  alone, 

THY   BLOOD  DID  ONCE   FOR   ALL  ATONE.'* 

Friend,  have  you  accepted  this  infinite  world- 
atoning  Saviour.^  Can  you  say  of  this  Lover  of 
Souls  in  all  the  worlds  and  all  the  ages,  "  My 
Beloved  is  mine   and  I  am   His "  ?     Has   Jesus 


24f        GOSPEL  FOR  BOTH  WORLDS 

spoken  peace  to  your  souL''  Perhaps  you  never 
saw  Him  in  all  His  beauty  before.  He  is  wait- 
ing, longing-  to  save  you  —  has  waited  long,  is 
waiting  still.  I  cannot  conscientiously  say  that 
a  time  will  ever  come  in  all  the  dimness  of  eternity 
when  the  heart  of  Christ  will  not  long  to  save 
you,  if  yet  unsaved.  It  is  no  changeful  love  that 
you  are  slighting :  it  is  no  mere  weak  and  wistful 
sentimentality  that  you  are  grieving.  All  power 
is  given  unto  Him  in  heaven  and  in  earth;  and 
you  are  destined  to  be  saved,  if  omnipotence  can 
do  it.  "  All  that  the  Father  giveth  me  will  come 
to  me,"  Jesus  said:  you  are  given  to  Him:  He 
has  bought  you  with  His  precious  blood:  you 
are  coming  to  Him.  Though  it  be  along  a  dread- 
ful, dark,  long  pathway  of  ages  of  wandering ;  in 
the  end  you  are  coming  to  Jesus.  Will  you  not 
come  this  morning?  He  loves  you  so:  in  your 
heart  of  hearts  you  love  Him  too:  Christ  needs 
you,  you  need  Christ:  oh,  do  not  lose  another 
moment  of  the  heaven  of  His  love! 

Have  you  said  yes  to  Jesus,  softly  just  now 
in  your  soul.''  Then  live  to  tell  others  about 
Him.  Begin  with  the  one  next  to  you,  nearest 
to  your  influence,  dearest  to  your  heart.  Learn 
the  joy  of  winning  souls  to  Jesus.  It  is  the 
gladdest  work  in  the  world:  it  Is  the  noblest 
work:  it  is  the  work  that  lasts,  and  the  work 
that  never  tires.  It  is  not  a  task  which  will  be 
partial  in  its  results,  or  one  that  will  end  in  the 
least  sigh  of  disappointment   or  regret;  biit   it 


THE  EVERLASTING  GOSPEL        ^5 

will  go  on  and  on  until  the  whole  plan  of  infinite, 
world-wide,  age-lasting  salvation  is  worked  out 
to  complete  success.  What  we  have  experienced 
of  Christ's  salvation  here  at  this  hour  and  what 
we  may  experience  throughout  our  life  is  an 
earnest  of  the  salvation  of  all.  He  who  has  saved 
one  can  save  anyone.  He  who  has  cared  to  save 
one  must  care  to  save  all.  He  is  not  willing  that 
any  should  perish.  He  would  have  all  men  to 
be  saved.     What  God  wills  must  he: 

*'  O  Grace,  into  unlikeliest  hearts 
It  is  thy  boast  to  come: 
The  glory  of  thy  light  to  find 
In  darkest  spots  a  home. 

How  many  hearts  thou  might'st  have  had 

More  innocent  than  mine; 
How  many  souls  more  worthy  far 

Of  that  sweet  touch  of  thine ! " 

If  there  is  a  kindness  in  God's  justice;  there 
is  certainly  a  justice  in  His  kindness.  He  would 
not  elect  some  and  not,  sooner  or  later,  elect  all. 
The  wages  of  sin  is  death;  but  the  gift  of  God 
is  eternal  life  through  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord. 
He  tells  us  Himself,  through  the  inspired  Paul; 
that  the  free  gift  is  for  all.  It  would  not  truly 
be  free  if  it  wasn't.  It  is  for  each,  as  each  can 
be  brought  to  wish  for  it.  So  the  miracle  of 
redemption  which  has  now  taken  place  in  your 
heart  and  in  mine;  bids  us  go  forth  and  use  our 


26        GOSPEL  FOR  BOTH  WORLDS 

touch  to  help  Christ  work  that  miracle  in  other 
hearts,  one  by  one,  day  by  day,  week  by  week, 
year  by  year,  century  by  century,  geon  by  seon, 
till  the  last  is  saved.  The  important  thing  for 
which  to  give  glory  to  God  this  morning  is  not 
that  isse  are  saved,  but  that  through  us  others 
are  going  to  be  saved  on  to  the  end.  This  be- 
lief gives  to  the  preaching  of  the  gospel,  in  all 
its  manifold  forms  of  endeavor,  a  dignity  greater 
than  men  have  yet  appreciated.  So  let  us  take 
away  with  us  our  watchword  of  deathless,  soul- 
winning  endeavor  in  the  paraphrase  of  two  fa- 
miliar hymns  — 

Salvation!  let  the  echo  swell 

The  universe  around; 
Till  nil  the  hosts  of  heaven  and  hell 

Conspire  to  raise  the  sound. 

Waft  it  on  time's  rolling  tide: 

Jesus  saves!  Jesus  saves! 
Tell  to  spirits  far  and  wide, 

Jesus  saves!  Jesus  saves  1 

Sing  it  softly  through  the  gloom, 
Where  one  heart  for  mercy  craves; 

Sing  in  triumph,  o'er  the  tomb, 
Jesus  saves  !  Jesus  saves  ! 

Give  the  ages  all  one  voice: 

Jesus  saves !  Jesus  saves ! 
Bid  creation  now  rejoice:  ^ 

Jesus  saves!  Jesus  saves! 


THE  EVERLASTING  GOSPEL        27 

Shout  salvation  full  and  free, 

Heaven's  high  hills,  hell's  deepest  caves; 
Sing  it  for  eternity — 

Jesus  saves!  Jesus  saves! 


Ill 

OUR  UNCHANGING  JEHOVAH 

"I  am  Jehovah,  I  change  not;  therefore  ye  sons  of 
Jacob  are  not  consumed.  From  the  days  of  your  fathers 
ye  have  turned  aside  from  mine  ordinances  and  have  not 
kept  them:  return  unto  me,  and  I  will  return  imto  you, 
saith  the  Lord  of  hosts." — Malachi  Hi,  6  and  7. 

The  key  to  every  riddle  and  problem  —  scien- 
tific, social,  political,  economic,  as  well  as  religious 
—  is  in  a  right  conception  of  God.  Pope 
sings :  — 

"  Know  well  thy  part,  and  seek  not  God  to  scan. 
The  proper  study  of  mankind  is  man.** 

But  we  have  not  even  a  clue  to  the  nature, 
origin,  and  destiny  of  man ;  until  we  learn  some- 
thing of  the  character  of  the  God  who  made 
man.  To  understand  an  air-ship,  you  must  know 
something  of  the  thought  of  a  Zeppelin.  Else 
you  may  be  foolish  enough  to  imagine  that  it 
flies  by  chance  —  or  evolution.  So  Bayard  Tay- 
lor has  more  wisely  sung  — 

"  There's  naught  on  earth  worth  knowing 
Save  God  and  thy  own  soul." 

Theology  is  not  only  the  queen  of  sciences,  but 

the  foundation  science.     Even  psychology  is  all 

a  jumble  of  mystery  until,  through  conscience, 

God  is  apperceived.     The  sage  of  Chelsea,  refer- 

28 


OUR  UNCHANGING  JEHOVAH        29 

ring  to  the  dictum  of  Greek  philosophy,  "  Tviode 
crcavTov,"  "  Know  thyself,"  declares  this  self  of 
ours  forever  unknowable.  So  it  is,  until  I  learn 
first  whose  child  I  am.  We  find  our  real  self  in 
God. 

The  man  who  believes,  or  believes  he  believes, 
in  a  God  who  Himself,  along  with  His  universe, 
is  in  a  process  of  evolution  has  not  even  a  fixed 
standard  to  judge  men  by.  What  is  right  to- 
day may  be  only  half  right,  or  wholly  wrong 
to-morrow.  Not  even  the  trend  of  the  world's 
evolution  is  left  within  our  guess.  The  man 
who  thinks  he  reads  in  his  Bible  that  God  changes 
in  His  dealings  with  men  —  that  God  may  feebly 
wish  to  save  for  a  human  life-time,  and,  failing 
that,  may  relentlessly  seek  to  punish  through  a 
soul's  eternity,  that  His  name  may  be  Love  on 
this  side  the  death-line,  and  implacable  Severity 
on  the  other;  such  a  reader  of  the  Bible  must  be 
puzzled  by  his  own  better  instincts  of  fair-play 
and  kindliness,  and  bewildered  and  disturbed  to 
find  himself  superior  to  his  God. 

Of  course,  no  one  does  quite  read  his  Bible  so 
any  more.  This  theology  of  a  two-natured  di- 
vinity never  was  in  the  Bible  —  taken  as  a  whole 
—  but  it  has  been,  in  part,  read  into  the  Bible 
by  the  fearfulness  of  God  natural  to  the  partly 
renewed  mind,  and,  in  part,  it  has  been  foisted 
upon  the  Bible  by  that  species  of  priest-craft 
which  endeavors  to  manage  men  as  children  have 
been  managed,  by  frightening  them  with  bug-a- 


30        GOSPEL  FOR  BOTH  WORLDS 

boos.  Translators,  too,  have  had  their  responsi- 
ble part.  But  revelation  cannot  be  Inconsistent 
with  itself.  It  is  not  fair  to  the  Bible  to  let  go 
our  clasp  on  any  of  Its  great  essential  principles 
in  order  that  we  may  untangle  some  little  puzzling 
web  of  difficulty  about  a  single  text  or  a  parable. 
The  letter  killeth,  but  the  spirit  giveth  life.  It 
is  tlie  whole  message  of  the  whole  Bible  that  we 
want.  The  more  we  search  for  that,  the  more 
we  find  it  bringing  conviction  to  our  reason,  ac- 
ceptance to  our  conscience,  thrill  to  our  endeavor, 
and  gladness  to  our  heart. 

When  the  Westminster  divines  were  engaged 
in  giving  form  to  the  principles  of  Reformed 
evangelical  orthodoxy  in  their  Longer  and 
Shorter  catechisms  and  their  Confession  of  Faith, 
they  came  early  to  the  question,  "  Wliat  is  God?  " 
Each  hesitated  to  suggest  an  answer.  Wlio 
could  put  the  Infinite  into  words?  Then  it  was 
proposed  that  they  should  pray  for  God's  own 
answer  in  self- revealing  love.  One  of  the  younger 
ministers  was  called  upon  to  lead  in  prayer,  and 
after  a  silence  of  some  moments,  he  began  trem- 
blingly, "  O  God,  Thou  Spirit,  infinite,  eternal, 
unchangeable  in  Thy  being,  wisdom,  power,  holi- 
ness, justice,  goodness  and  truth," — the  prayer 
for  the  light  he  went  on  to  pour  forth  was 
answered  in  its  own  beginning.  When  those  men 
of  God  rose  from  their  knees,  it  was  felt  by  all 
that  the  word  had  been  spoken ;  and  the  preamble 


OUR  UNCHANGING  JEHOVAH        31 

of  the  prayer  was  made  their  answer  to  the  in- 
effable question. 

God  is  a  spirit  infinite,  eternal,  unchangeable 
in  His  being  and  in  His  attributes,  one  of  which 
is  justice,  another  mercy,  another  power.  We 
have  reason  for  the  belief,  and  we  have  Bible 
for  it,  page  by  page,  book  by  book.  "  I  am 
Jehovah,"  He  declares,  "  I  am  the  I  AM ;  I 
change  not."  He  who  is  perfect  has  no  need  to 
change.  He  could  not  change  for  the  better: 
He  could  only  deteriorate:  if  He  could  change. 
He  would  no  longer  be  God.  God  is  ever  new 
as  He  develops  new  conditions  and  faces  them: 
He  seems  ever  new  in  our  new  appreciation  of 
Him.  To  the  unthinking  traveler  the  landscape 
seems  to  slip  by  the  coach  window,  to  the  young 
sailor  the  shore  seems  to  move.  It  is  we  who 
have  been  moving  through  the  centuries,  to  scan 
God  at  a  wider  angle.  Your  friend  is  new  to 
you  with  each  new  test  and  expression  of  his 
friendship;  yet  he  is  the  same  dear  friend  in  the 
very  surprises  which  he  is  capable  of  giving  you. 
So  God  expresses  Himself  differently,  in  a  meas- 
ure, to  each  generation;  but  the  Lord  Himself 
can  as  little  change  in  His  attributes  as  in  His 
being.  For  Him  to  cease  in  any  way  to  be  just 
or  to  be  merciful  would  be  to  cease  to  be  God. 
Justice  and  mercy  have  long  ago  been  likened  to 
the  two  arms  of  God  in  which  He  clasps  His 
world.     He  does  not  carry  His  universe  first  in 


32        GOSPEL  FOR  BOTH  WORLDS 

one  arm,  then  in  the  other ;  but  in  each  with  equal 
and  eternal  clasp.  God's  justice  begins  its  deal- 
ings with  men  here  in  this  life:  God's  mercy  also 
has  its  dealings  with  them  to  all  eternity.  We 
are  of  those  who  are  looking  to  see  the  mercy  of 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  unto  eternal  life. 

God's  word  is  far  more  emphatic,  and  explicit, 
and  repeated  in  declaring  that  His  mercy  is  ever- 
lasting than  that  His  justice  cannot  change. 
Heaven  and  earth  shall  pass,  our  Saviour  tells 
us,  but  one  jot  or  one  tittle  shall  in  no  wise  pass 
from  the  law  of  God  until  all  be  fulfilled;  but 
over  and  over  we  are  assured,  in  one  phrase  or 
another,  that  His  mercy  is  forever.  Our  text 
gives  us  nearly  the  last  word  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment in  a  changeless  invitation  to  obdurate  wan- 
derers from  God.  "  I  am  Jehovah :  I  change 
not:  return  unto  me  and  I  will  return  unto  you 
saith  the  Lord  of  hosts."  And  the  last  word  of 
the  New  Testament  is  the  same  changeless  invi- 
tation of  God's  mercy :  "  The  Spirit  and  the 
bride  say,  come,  and  let  him  that  heareth  say, 
come,  and  let  him  that  is  athirst  come,  and  who- 
soever will  let  him  take  of  the  water  of  life 
freely."  Have  you  ever  taken  in  the  breadth  of 
God's  "  whosoever  will "  ?  Holy  thinkers  have 
mused  over  it  in  wonder  for  ages.  To  the  infinite 
bounds  of  God's  moral  universe,  to  the  farthest 
reach  of  hell's  distance  from  His  blessed  service. 
His  mercy's  invitation  interposes  but  one  condi- 
tion; a  willingness  to  come.     Whosoever,  whosd- 


OUR  UNCHANGING  JEHOVAH        53 

ever,  whosoever!  Let  the  glad  word  echo,  echo 
out,  out,  out,  and  down  where  the  most  despair- 
ing soul  of  all  this  universe  cringes  and  shudders 
at  its  fate.  Shout  and  call  it  into  that  far  soul's 
dulled  hearing,  until  it  wakes  with  a  start  of 
rapture,  crying  — 

"That  grand  word,  'whosoever/  just  means 
me/' 

It  is  recorded  of  God's  ancient  people  that  at 
the  time  of  the  dedication  of  Solomon's  temple, 
when  they  had  placed  the  ancient  ark  of  the 
covenant  within  the  holiest  place,  and  when  all 
the  Levites  that  were  singers  stood  ready  in  white 
robes  with  their  cymbals,  psalteries,  and  harps, 
and  a  hundred  and  twenty  priests  with  trumpets 
all  tuned  in  accord  stood  ready;  then  when  they 
sang  as  with  one  voice  and  praised  the  Lord,  say- 
ing, "  For  he  is  good,  for  his  mercy  is  for- 
ever," the  house  was  filled  with  a  cloud,  even  the 
house  of  the  Lord ;  so  that  the  priests  could  not 
stand  to  minister  by  reason  of  the  cloud ;  for  the 
glory  of  the  Lord  had  filled  the  house  of  the  Lord. 
So  God  honored  their  confession. 

They  worship  a  changeful  God  who  conceive 
of  Him  as  just  and  merciful  in  time  and  only 
just  in  eternity.  Such  a  god  could  not  right- 
fully use  the  language  of  our  text,  "  I  am  Jeho- 
vah, I  change  not:  return  unto  me,  and  I  will 
return  unto  you."  If  this  means  anything  at 
all;   it  is   an   invitation   for  all   eternity.     It  is 


34        GOSPEL  FOR  BOTH  WORLDS 

because  God  is  changeless  in  His  mercifulness  that 
we  sinners  are  not  consumed.  The  Lord  will  not 
cast  anyone  off  forever;  for  though  He  cause 
grief  for  the  seons  of  hell,  yet  will  He  have  com- 
passion according  to  the  multitude  of  His  mercies. 
For  He  doth  not  afflict  willingly,  nor  grieve  the 
children  of  men.  Our  Father  is  always  glad  to 
lay  aside  the  rod,  and  give  the  kiss. 

Shall  mortal  man  be  more  just  than  God? 
Shall  a  man  be  more  pure  than  his  Maker.?  God 
desires  us  to  be  forgiving:  though  my  brother 
sins  against  me  seven  times  a  day,  God  would  have 
me  forgive  him.  What  God  wishes  us  to  be,  He 
is.  We  are  to  be  merciful  as  He  Is  merciful. 
Would  that  be  a  standard  worth  imitating  if  the 
movings  of  His  mercy  toward  each  only  lasted 
for  life's  little  span.?  Surely  we  will  all  agree 
that  by  God's  essential  nature.  He  must  yearn  to 
be  merciful  as  He  is  just  to  all  eternity.  He  is 
not  willing  that  any  should  perish.  Then  why 
should  they.?  What  God  feels  reluctant  about, 
how  can  that  eternally  continue  to  be.? 

This  brings  us  to  a  thought  of  even  deeper 
import.  God  is  not  only  infinite,  eternal,  un- 
changeable in  His  attributes  but  also  in  His  pur- 
poses. What  God  starts  out  to  do,  all  eternity 
cannot  alter.  He  could  not  be  God,  and  change 
His  mind.  "  The  counsel  of  the  Lord  standeth 
forever,  the  thoughts  of  his  heart  to  all  gener- 
ations." "  The  world,"  says  Schleirmacher,  "  is 
one  vast  will,  constantly  rushing  into  life."     It 


OUR  UNCHANGING  JEHOVAH        35 

is  not  only  one  vast  will,  but  it  is  one  vast  plan. 
Couple  infinite  will  with  infinite  intelligence  and 
you  cannot  have  anything  else  but  immutable  de- 
cree. Coming  down  through  history,  cropping 
out  in  the  news  of  yesterday,  we  can  look  and 
see  the  unfoldings  of  one  consistent  purpose. 
Scrape  away  the  debris  of  tlie  mountain  side,  and 
there  lies  the  ledge. 

"For  we  doubt  not  through  the  ages  one  increasing 
purpose  runs. 
And  the  thoughts  of  men  are  widened  with  the 
process  of  the  suns." 

All  the  lines  of  power  that  run  through  this 
universe  converge  toward  a  single  point.  This  is 
that  — 

**  One  far-off,  divine  event 
Toward  which  the  whole  creation  moves." 

The  details  of  God's  vast  plan,  what  finite  in- 
telligence can  grasp  .f*  Who  hath  known  the 
mind  of  the  Lord,  or  who  hath  been  his  counselor? 
None  of  us  can  soar  ninety  millions  of  miles  to 
the  sun;  but  standing  at  two  points  upon  our 
planet  with  the  distance  known  between,  we  can 
sight  along  straight  lines  to  the  sun,  measure 
the  angle  of  the  sight  lines  with  the  base  line,  and 
compute  the  distance  of  the  sun.  So  we  can 
sight  along  the  converging  lines  of  God's  world- 
plan,  and  know  a  little  of  the  end  from  the  be- 
ginning.    Jesus  outlines  the  consummation  of  all 


36       GOSPEL  FOR  BOTH  WORLDS 

things  for  us  when  He  says,  "  Even  so  it  is  not 
the  will  of  your  Father  in  heaven  that  one  of  these 
little  ones  should  perish."  "  Other  sheep  I  have," 
He  declares,  "  which  are  not  of  this  fold :  them 
also  I  must  bring,  and  they  shall  hear  my  voice; 
and  there  shall  be  one  fold  and  one  shepherd." 
Oh,  see  Him  bringing  them!  The  Son  of  Man 
came  to  seek  and  to  save  that  which  was  lost. 

**  But  none  of  the  ransomed  ever  knew 
How  deep  were  the  waters  crossed. 
Or  how  dark  was  the  night  that  the  Lord  passed 

through, 
E*er  He  found  His  sheep  that  was  lost." 

"  Them  also  must  I  bring."  Not  only  of 
earth's  fold,  not  only  the  ingathering  of  time's 
searchings.  Oh,  the  terrible  journeys  in  hell  the 
Saviour  of  the  lost  is  taking  that  at  last  there 
may  be  one  fold  and  one  shepherd! 

The  doctrine  of  God's  election,  rightly  under- 
stood, instead  of  being  a  discouragement  to  en- 
deavor for  our  own  and  others'  salvation,  is  the 
supreme  assurance  of  ultimate  universal  salvation. 
He  who  from  all  eternity  has  chosen  some  must 
consistently  be  planning  to  save  all,  some  elected 
for  this  aeon,  some  for  that;  all  to  be  saved  as 
they  freely  consent  to  God's  unswerving  plan. 
"  Hast  thou  not  known  ?  hast  thou  not  heard,  that 
the  everlasting  God,  the  Lord,  the  Creator  of  the 
ends  of  the  earth,  fainteth  not,  neither  is  weary  .^ 
There  is  no  searching  of  His  understanding." 


OUR  UNCHANGING  JEHOVAH       SI 

His  mercy  is  forever.  This  gives  us  first ,  a 
key  to  interpretation ;  second,  an  incentive  to  faith 
and  conduct. 

Take  the  Bible  as  a  whole:  interpret  the  dark 
things  by  the  light.  "  God  is  light,  and  in  Him 
is  no  darkness  at  all."  There  is  but  one  rational 
preconception  with  which  to  approach  God's  rev- 
elation of  Himself  both  in  His  word  and  in  His 
world,  and  that  is  that  God  is  so  complete  and 
so  perfect  as  to  be  eternally  the  same.  His  Word 
says,  "  These  shall  go  away  into  aeonian  punish- 
ment." "  Depart  from  me,  ye  cursed,  into  aeonian 
fire,  prepared  for  the  devil  and  his  angels."  True ; 
but  His  mercy  is  forever,  Abraham  in  the  par- 
able says,  "  Between  us  and  you  there  is  a  great 
gulf  fixed:  so  that  they  which  would  pass  from 
hence  to  you  cannot;  neither  can  they  pass  to  us 
that  would  come  from  thence."  Undoubted ;  but 
His  mercy  is  forever.  This  is  our  rock  of  infinite 
confidence.  I  will  not  deny  or  minimize  one  clear 
statement  of  God's  eternal  Word ;  I  will  endeavor 
to  look  without  mental  evasion  into  its  lake  of 
torment  whose  flames  go  up  to  the  ages  of  the 
ages;  but  as  I  peer  across  its  lurid  vista  of  ag- 
onized soul-faces  into  that  outer  darkness  where 
there  is  weeping  and  gnashing  of  teeth,  where 
their  worm  dieth  not  and  their  fire  is  not 
quenched;  I  will  still  whisper  to  my  inmost  soul, 
His  mercy  is  forever! 

How  this  assurance  strengthens  faith,  how  it 
inspires  conduct !     You  and  I  have  nothing  what- 


38        GOSPEL  FOR  BOTH  WORLDS 

ever  to  trust  in  for  eternity  but  the  fairness  of 
God's  everlasting  mercy.  We  shudder  at  the 
thought  of  trusting  our  soul  in  the  hands  of  a 
changeable  or  a  partial  God.  If  His  mercy  were 
for  a  day,  a  month,  or  a  year;  if  it  chose  its 
favorites  capriciously ;  we  might  wait  tremblingly 
amid  the  glories  of  heaven's  court  until  our 
season  of  favor  should  come  to  its  close,  and  we, 
in  our  turn,  might  be  cast  aside.  Scarcely  less 
wretched  would  be  our  precarious  trust  in  a  God 
who  left  all  to  the  haphazard  choice  of  His 
creatures,  who  had  no  plan  of  His  own  by  in- 
finite suasion  to  bring  all  to  His  blessed  will ;  but 
who  left  men  to  make  utter  failures  of  themselves, 
and  then  grew  weary  of  caring  about  them,  and 
let  them  drop  away  into  nothingness.  But  to 
the  Jehovah  revealed  to  us  in  this  blessed  volume, 
one  whose  mercy  and  whose  justice  are  alike 
changeless  and  eternal,  how  easy  it  is  to  give  our 
quiet  trust,  our  loyal  obedience,  our  undying  af- 
fection !  We  rest  in  love  like  His,  and  underneath 
are  the  everlasting  arms.  There  is  a  love  that 
wearies  while  it  fascinates  us  —  so  capricious,  so 
passionate.  There  have  been  theologians  who 
would  almost  represent  God's  love  as  like  that. 
But  our  God  is  one  whose  love  is  ever  the  same. 
It  is  love  while  it  punishes  just  as  while  it  par- 
dons, and  its  punishment  is  in  order  to  its  pardon. 
We  might  harden  our  hearts  indefinitely  against 
a  judgment  which  was  merely  punitive,  and  even 
take  a  certain  reckless  delight  in  daring  its  worst 


OUR  UNCHANGING  JEHOVAH        39 

penalty.  But  when  we  come  to  look  upon  hell 
itself  as  God's  great  house  of  correction,  where 
He  carries  on  through  the  ages  the  sacred  task  of 
reclaiming  immortal  souls  from  sin,  and  saves  men 
*  so  as  by  fire  ' ;  then  we  no  longer  have  a  motive 
for  resisting  His  love,  beautiful  in  severity,  eter- 
nally yearning  to  save.  To  such  a  Father  God 
as  this,  which  of  His  children  of  men  will  not 
be  willing  to  yield  a  glad  obedience,  and  a  loving 
service?  How  we  will  fear  to  displease  Him, 
knowing  that  He  will  never  give  us  up  to  an 
eternity  in  sin ;  but  in  His  sweet  sternness  will 
deal  with  us  faithfully  for  ultimate  reclamation! 
Joseph  Cook  says,  "  Our  God  would  not  be  a 
consuming  fire,  if  He  were  not  an  enswathing 
kiss."  God  punishes  to  save.  Looking  out  from 
a  city  casement,  we  have  seen  the  glorious  after- 
noon sun  turn  fiery  red  as  it  sank  through  the 
horizon's  rim  of  miles  of  smoke.  So  infinite  love 
is  burning  wrath,  when  seen  through  the  atmos- 
phere of  sin.  God  is  angry  with  the  wicked 
every  day.  Yet  He  commendeth  His  love  toward 
us  in  that  while  we  were  yet  sinners  Christ  died 
for  us.  It  is  a  terrible  thing  to  fall  into  the  hands 
of  the  living  God.  There  is  no  refuge  from  those 
terrible  hands,  but  in  the  everlasting  arms  of 
His  mercy.  It  is  not  we,  but  our  sin  that  hell 
bums  to  consume.  Either  we  must  weep  for  it, 
or  burn  for  it,  both  here  and  hereafter.  God 
cannot  change ;  we  must,  until  our  hearts  are  one 
with  Him. 


IV 

THE  SAME  JESUS 

"Whose  faith  follow,  considering  the  end  of  their  con- 
versation, Jesus  Christ  the  same  yesterday,  and  to-day, 
yea  and  forever." — Hebrews  xiii,  8. 

Jesus  Christ  yesterday:  this  carries  us  a  long 
ways  back.  He  says,  "  Before  Abraham  was,  I 
AM.'*  In  the  beginning  was  the  Word,  and  the 
Word  was  with  God,  and  the  Word  was  God." 
He  is  the  "  image  of  the  invisible  God,  the  first 
born  of  every  creature."  "  He  is  before  all 
things."  Let  your  thoughts  go  back.  Back  to  the 
geologic  ages,  when  through  millions  of  years  our 
earth  was  forming,  layer  upon  layer  —  Christ  was 
there.  Back  to  the  beginnings  of  creation  when 
the  star  systems  were  nebulse;  back  before  God 
said,  "  Let  there  be  light  " —  Christ  was  there. 
Back  to  when  there  was  no  universe  —  Christ  was 
there.  He  had  glory  with  the  Father  before  the 
world  was.  "  By  him  God  made  the  worlds." 
"  By  him  are  all  things,  and  we  by  him."  Who 
made  you?  The  catechism  answers,  "  God."  As 
truly  it  might  answer,  "  Jesus."  "  The  same  was 
in  the  beginning  with  God:  all  things  were  made 
by  him,  and  without  him  was  not  anything  made 
that  was  made."  "  All  things  were  created  by 
him  and  for  him,  and  by  him  all  things  hold  to- 
40 


THE  SAME  JESUS  41 

gether."  Christ  upholds  all  things  by  the  word 
of  His  power. 

Even  in  the  beginning,  He  was  a  redeemer. 
He  is  the  lamb  slain  from  the  foundation  of  the 
world.  When  God  appointed  the  foundations  of 
the  earth,  when  the  morning  stars  sang  together 
and  all  the  sons  of  God  shouted  for  joy;  then 
this  eternal  Wisdom  who  had  been  with  God  from 
the  beginning,  '  or  ever  the  earth  was  ' —  even 
then  His  delights  were  with  the  sons  of  men. 
God  said  to  Him,  "  Let  us  make  men  in  our 
image."  Back  of  the  incarnation,  by  which 
Christ  was  found  in  fashion  as  a  man,  stands  the 
creation,  at  which  man  was  made  in  the  image 
of  Christ.  We  belong  to  each  other  by  a  double 
assimilation.  Already  He  was  giving  Himself 
to  us  and  for  us.  He  was  delivered  by  the  de- 
terminate counsel  and  foreknowledge  of  God. 
In  His  eternal  life  which  has  no  sequences.  He 
was  already  hanging  on  the  cross  of  Calvary. 
God  was  laying  down  His  life  for  us.  In  this 
sacrifice  of  the  Lamb  slain  before  the  foundation 
of  the  world,  Abel's  sacrifice  of  the  firstlings  of 
his  flock  found  its  complement  and  its  acceptance. 

In  the  Old  Testament  we  read  frequently  of  the 
"  Angel  of  Jehovah,"  appearing  to  men  and  per- 
haps in  the  next  sentence.  He  speaks  as  Jehovah 
himself.  Now  we  know  that  *  no  man  hath  seen 
God  at  any  time:  the  only  begotten  Son,  which 
is  in  the  bosom  of  the  Father,  he  hath  declared 
him  ' ;  so,  we  are  drawn  to  identify  this  '  angel 


42        GOSPEL  FOR  BOTH  WORLDS 

of  Jehovah  '  with  Jesus.  He  it  was  who  called  to 
Abraham  not  to  slay  Isaac  in  sacrifice.  He  had 
the  right;  for  His  own  sacrifice  was  already  suffi- 
cient. It  was  He  who  spoke  to  Hagar  by  the 
fountain  in  the  desert  in  the  same  compassionate 
way  that  was  like  Jesus,  and  Hagar  called  the 
angel,  "  Thou  God  seest  me."  It  was  He  who  led 
the  children  of  Israel  out  of  Egypt  and  who  ap- 
peared to  Gideon  and  to  Manoah.  David  knew 
Him  as  his  Lord,  Job  as  his  Redeemer,  Isaiah  as 
"  Immanuel,  God  with  us."  To  Haggai  He  was 
the  "  Desire  of  all  nations,"  to  Jeremiah,  "  The 
Lord  our  righteousness,"  to  Zechariah,  "  King 
over  all  the  earth,"  to  Daniel,  "  Messiah  the 
Prince."  He  came  to  Abraham  sitting  in  his 
tent  door,  rescued  Lot  from  Sodom,  appeared 
to  Isaiah  in  the  temple,  and  was  with  the  three 
Hebrews  in  the  fiery  furnace.  Undoubtedly 
Christ  is  the  largest  figure  in  the  Old  Testa- 
ment. From  the  promise  at  the  gate  of  Eden 
to  the  coming  Lord  of  Malachi's  prophecy, 
he  stands  beside  the  shifting  scenes  of  Old  Testa- 
ment history  like  an  actor  in  the  fly,  with  heaven's 
glory  behind  Him,  casting  His  approaching 
shadow  upon  earth's  dimly  lighted  stage.  He  is 
prefigured  and  foretold  from  beginning  to  end  of 
the  volume.  He  is  lifted  up  in  the  brazen  ser- 
pent, offered  in  type  of  sacrificial  lambs,  por- 
trayed in  vision,  in  psalm,  in  song,  in  proverb,  in 
life-story,  in  emblem  of  sprinkled  blood,  of  scarlet 
thread,  of  cross  mark  in  forehead.     Well  might 


THE  SAME  JESUS  43 

Christ  exclaim  in  coming  into  the  world,  "  Lo, 
I  come ;  in  the  volume  of  the  book  it  is  written  of 
me,  Sacrifice  and  offering  thou  wouldst  not;  but 
a  body  hast  thou  prepared  for  me."  Well  might 
John  hail  him,  "  Behold  God's  Lamb  that  taketh 
away  the  world's  sin." 

And  the  Word  was  made  flesh  and  dwelt  among 
us,  and  we  beheld  His  glory,  the  glory  of  the  only 
begotten  of  the  Father  full  of  grace  and  truth. 
In  Him  God  was  revealed  reconciling  the  world 
unto  Himself.  His  life  and  death  were  one  con- 
sistent paradox  of  divinity  shining  through  lowly 
humanity.  Born  in  a  stable;  He  was  heralded 
by  angels  and  pointed  out  by  a  star.  Reared  in 
exile  and  seclusion;  He  appeared  at  John's  bap- 
tism and  was  owned  from  heaven.  Rejected  at 
Nazareth;  He  becomes  the  wonder  worker  of 
Galilee.  Often  hungry  and  thirsty,  He  could 
feed  a  multitude  from  a  lad's  lunch  basket. 
Worn  out  and  asleep;  He  rises  to  rebuke  the 
winds  and  waves.  Frequently  weary  with  walk- 
ing ;  He  could  walk  upon  the  waves.  He  did  not 
cry  or  strive;  yet  His  voice  could  bring  the  dead 
to  life.  Without  means  to  pay  His  poll  tax;  a 
fish  of  the  sea  yields  Him  tribute.  Despised  and 
rejected  of  men;  disease  and  death  obey  Him  as 
did  the  centurion's  servants.  Jeered  at  in  His 
death;  the  earth  quakes,  and  the  sun  puts  on 
mourning.  Executed  like  a  criminal.  He  takes 
up  life  again  as  God.  So  human  He  was,  so 
sympathetic,  so   craving  of  sympathy,   so   com- 


44        GOSPEL  FOR  BOTH  WORLDS 

passionate,  so  appreciative  of  the  really  good 
things  of  life ;  jet  He  saw  Nathaniel  under  the 
fig  tree,  He  knew  where  all  the  fish  were  swimming 
in  the  sea.  He  drove  His  enemies  backward  with 
a  look ;  then  died  praying  for  them,  and  opening 
the  door  of  Paradise  to  a  penitent  thief.  So  He 
completed  His  life  work  as  a  saviour  should. 

But  no ;  He  has  been  living  the  same  life  and 
doing  the  same  deeds  ever  since.  The  wonderful 
resurrection  change  to  the  spiritual  body  made 
no  difference  In  the  heart  of  Christ.  Eagerly  He 
sought  the  company  of  those  who  loved  Him,  of 
those  who  talked  of  Him  by  the  way.  Eagerly 
He  explained  to  them  the  purpose  of  His  sacri- 
ficial death.  He  was  their  friend  still  in  exalta- 
tion. Nothing  could  be  more  natural,  more 
chummy  even,  than  the  way  He  called  to  them  in 
the  boat  after  their  night's  fishing  on  the  sea  of 
Galilee;  "Boys,  have  ye  any  meat.''"  He  dealt 
wistfully  with  the  doubts  of  Thomas,  the  former 
unfaithfulness  of  Peter,  and  bound  them  to  His 
heart  again.  And  when  He  rose  from  their 
midst  on  the  hill-top,  He  went  up  looking  down, 
His  hands  outspread,  blessing  them  still. 

But  He  did  not  really  leave  them  at  all.  "  I 
will  not  leave  you  orphans,"  He  had  promised; 
"  I  will  come  to  you."  "  A  little  while  and  the 
world  seeth  me  no  more;  but  ye  see  me."  The 
history  of  Christianity  has  been  a  continuation 
of  the  life  of  Christ.  The  miracles  of  His  visi- 
ble life-time  have  been  far  eclipsed  by  the  wonders 


THE  SAME  JESUS  45 

of  redeeming  grace  which  He  has  wrought  down 
through  the  centuries,  and  by  the  miracle  of  a 
transformed  world  which  attests  His  living  pres- 
ence and  power  to-day.  Jesus  Christ  to-day  is 
the  same  mighty  Saviour  to  the  millions  who  are 
trusting  their  all  for  time  and  for  eternity 
to  Him.  Jesus  Christ  to-day  is  the  world's  great 
teacher.  Humanity  sits  at  His  feet  to  learn  of 
Him.  His  sayings  are  quoted  from  lip  to  lip. 
His  precepts  reappear  in  the  noblest  thoughts  of 
modern  men.  Christendom  is  dotted  with  schools 
that  show  His  influence.  The  isles  wait  for  His 
law.  More  and  more,  across  the  statute  books 
of  the  nations,  across  the  ledgers  of  their  com- 
merce, across  the  code  of  their  international  rela- 
tions is  being  written  this  single  law  of  Jesus, 
Thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself.  Of  the 
increase  of  His  government  and  peace  there 
promises  to  be  no  end.  Peace  on  earth,  good  will 
among  men  is  the  sublime  miracle  He  is  working 
under  our  very  eyes.  Jesus  Christ  to-day  is  the 
world's  great  king.  He  is  king  of  once  barbaric 
lands  which  He  alone  has  civilized:  He  is  king 
of  states  blessed  with  constitutional  liberty  mod- 
eled on  His  own  magna  charta  of  equality  and 
brotherhood,  states  redeemed  from  the  curse  of 
chattel  slavery,  the  cursed  traffic  in  strong  drink, 
the  curse  of  sex  degradation,  and  other  strong, 
bad  things  of  a  day  that  is  almost  done.  Pilate 
asked  Jesus  in  scornful  tolerance,  "  Art  thou  a 
king  then  ?  "  and  Jesus  answered,  "  Thou  sayest 


46        GOSPEL  FOR  BOTH  WORLDS 

that  I  am  a  king."  He  made  His  claim  in  sym- 
bol riding  over  the  brow  of  Olivet ;  and  that  royal 
progress  so  humbly  begun  has  wound  its  way 
down  the  shadowy  canons  of  the  centuries  until 
to-day  it  belts  the  globe  with  its  hosannas  of 
triumph  over  sin.  By  all  the  reforms  for  which 
the  world  still  strains  to  the  birth,  Christ  alone 
is  king.  He  is  the  world's  great  captain,  leading 
its  millionfold  conflict  with  wrong.  He  said, 
"  Think  not  that  I  am  come  to  send  peace  on 
earth:  I  came  not  to  send  peace,  but  a  sword." 
He  was  manifested  to  bring  to  nought  the  works 
of  the  devil  and  His  age-long  fight  is  still  on. 
Jesus  Christ  to-day  is  the  world's  great  reformer, 
He  is  also,  just  as  of  old,  the  world's  great  healer, 
both  of  body  and  soul.  Whose  are  the  hospitals, 
whose  is  the  Red-cross  League?  Their  spirit  and 
motive  is  that  of  Jesus.  World  wide  medical 
missions  carry  on  Christ's  work  in  Christ's  nat- 
ural way.  Faith  also  cures  to-day,  as  when  it 
reached  to  touch  the  hem  of  His  garment  of  old 
as  He  passed.  Christ  is  the  great  practical 
helper  of  men  to-day.  In  social  service,  in  many 
types  of  brotherhood,  in  every  form  of  benevo- 
lent activity,  Christ  is  the  great  benefactor. 
Asylums,  charities,  protective  associations,  train- 
ing schools:  what  had  the  world  like  these  before 
Jesus  came.? 

Above  all,  Jesus  Christ  to-day  is  the  same  liv- 
ing, personal  Saviour.  He  is  not  only  in  this 
world  as  of  yore  going  about  doing  good;  but 


THE  SAME  JESUS  47 

He  is  in  this  modem  world  seeking  to  save. 
Overwhelming  consensus  of  testimony  proves  it 
on  every  side.  If  you  doubt ;  try  and  prove  Him 
as  your  Saviour.  If  you  seek  Him  really,  you 
will  find  Him  real.  The  daily  miracle  of  an- 
swered prayer  will  demonstrate  the  divine  Christ 
to  you  better  than  every  external  argument. 
You  will  know  Him  whom  you  have  believed. 
Jesus  will  be  the  same  friend  to  you  as  to  Lazarus 
or  Martha  or  Mary.  He  Himself  will  join  you 
in  your  walk  as  He  joined  the  two  on  the  way 
to  Emmaus. 

"  'Twas  a  happy,  happy  day  in  the  olden  time 
When  the  Lord  to  Bethany  came; 
Open  wide  the  door,  let  Him  enter  now; 
For  His  love  is  ever  the  same !  " 

This  is  not  mysticism:  it  is  matter  of  fact, 
demonstrable  reality,  and  just  to  know  Him  per- 
sonally is  eternal  life  for  you  and  me. 

Christ  to-day  is  the  same  mediator  between 
God  and  man.  Just  as  He  prayed  for  His  dis- 
ciples in  the  sacred  supper  chamber,  as  He  prayed 
for  His  enemies  while  hanging  upon  the  cross; 
so  He  ever  liveth  to  make  intercession  for  us. 

"  For  if  when  we  were  enemies,  we  were  recon- 
ciled to  God  by  the  death  of  His  son,  much  more, 
being  reconciled,  we  shall  be  saved  by  His  life:" 
Which  life?  Why  the  life,  the  eternal  life  He  is 
living  now.  He  lives  to  save.  If  Christ  were 
not  the  same  Saviour  forever,  where  would  our 


48       GOSPEL  FOR  BOTH  WORLDS 

hope  be?  What  else  have  we  to  trust  in  but  the 
mercy  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  unto  eternal 
life?     If  He  doesn't  keep  on  saving,  we  are  lost. 

The  next  volume  of  this  world's  history,  and 
the  other  world's,  may  well  have  the  same  pro- 
logue as  that  of  Luke's  Book  of  Acts :  "  The 
former  treatise  have  I  made,  0  Theophilus,  of 
all  that  Jesus  began  both  to  do  and  teach."  Our 
Lord  is  still  only  beginning.  He  has  undertaken 
for  the  world's  salvation,  and  eternity  must  be 
allowed  Him  to  finish  His  task.  Jesus  Christ 
forever  is  not  a  different  Jesus,  but  the  same 
Jesus.  You  remind  me  that  He  was  and  is  here 
on  earth  as  our  Saviour,  but  that  He  is  coming 
to  be  our  judge.  Has  He  not  been  a  judge  then, 
as  well  as  a  saviour,  all  through  the  world's  his- 
tory? Was  he  not  predicted  as  a  judge? 
Isaiah  foretells  of  the  Branch  that  shall  grow  out 
of  the  stem  of  Jesse,  "  He  shall  not  judge  after 
the  sight  of  his  eyes,  neither  reprove  after  the 
hearing  of  his  ears ;  but  with  righteousness  shall 
he  judge  the  poor,  and  reprove  with  equity  for 
the  meek  of  the  earth;  and  he  shall  smite  the 
earth  with  the  rod  of  his  mouth,  and  with  the 
breath  of  his  lips  shall  he  slay  the  wicked." 

He  was  to  come  as  the  Lion  of  the  tribe  of 
Judah;  His  fan  was  to  be  in  His  hand  to  thor- 
oughly purge  His  threshing  floor.  He  was  to 
reprove  with  equity  for  the  meek  of  the  earth. 
He  was  not  to  fail  nor  be  discouraged  till  He 
had   set   judgment   in   the    earth.     History   has 


THE  SAME  JESUS  49 

proved  the  vision.  Christ  has  been  the  great 
judge  among  the  nations  and  those  that  have 
stood  for  Him  have  prevailed.  In  the  body  long 
ago,  He  was  a  judge  when  He  plaited  the  whip 
of  cords  and  drove  the  money  changers  and 
venders  from  the  temple.  He  was  a  judge  when 
He  launched  upon  scribe  and  pharisee  the  seven- 
fold, scathing  lightning  of  His  reiterated  woe. 
He  was  a  judge  when,  with  aching  heart,  He 
decreed  for  Jerusalem,  "  Behold,  your  house  is 
left  unto  you  desolate."  He  was  a  judge  when 
His  word  blasted  the  barren  fig  tree.  We  believe 
in  Him  as  our  judge.  We  would  not  love  Him 
so  much,  if  we  did  not  tremble  before  Him.  He 
will  come  to  judge  the  quick  and  the  dead;  but 
He  would  have  no  right  to  judge,  if  He  were  not 
forever  trying  to  save.  Not  only  as  long  as 
this  earth  lasts  will  Christ  continue  to  work  in  it 
as  a  teacher,  a  law-giver,  a  king,  a  reformer,  a 
healer,  a  benefactor,  a  saviour  and  friend;  but 
out  in  the  wide  universe,  out  in  the  long  eternity 
we  will  find  Him  still  seeking  His  lost  sheep  until 
He  find  it.  Would  He  be  the  same  Jesus  forever, 
and  not  do  that?  Peter  tells  us  that  His  spirit 
went  from  the  lifeless  body  still  hanging  upon 
the  cross  to  preach  His  gospel  of  a  completed 
redemption  to  the  spirits  in  hell's  prison.  Paul 
declares  the  same,  "  That  he  ascended,  what  is 
it  but  that  He  also  descended  first  into  the  lower 
parts  of  the  earth  ?  "  Paul's  contemporaries  lo- 
cated hell  and  hades  there.     The  Apostles'  Creed 


60        GOSPEL  FOR  BOTH  WORLDS 

gives  us  the  same  antithesis.  "  He  descended 
into  hell:  He  ascended  into  heaven." 

Jesus  Christ  in  hell.  Whither  else  in  all  the 
universe  would  His  heart  more  readily  draw  Him? 
Where  else  could  He  win  such  victories  of  redeem- 
ing grace?  Where  else  could  He  so  fulfil  His 
mission  of  bringing  to  nought  the  works  of  the 
devil?  Could  He  stay  out  of  hell  and  accomplish 
that?  Could  He  be  the  omnipresent  God,  and 
not  be  in  hell?  If  there  at  all,  how  could  He 
possibly  content  Himself,  and  not  go  seeking  to 
save?  I  tell  you,  Christ  will  make  this  world  of 
ours  over  yet  —  far  more  gloriously  than  He  has 
made  it  over  thus  far  —  but  what  is  infinitely 
more,  He  will  surely  make  hell  over,  as  truly  as 
He  is  the  same  yesterday,  to-day,  and  forever. 
Jesus  Christ  forever  will  bear  the  sins  and  sor- 
rows of  the  universe,  until  sin  and  sorrow  will  be 
no  more.  There  is  meaning  and  intensity  in  the 
"  yea  "  of  our  text.  If  Christ  has  been  the  same 
consistent  saviour  yesterday  and  to-day;  how 
much  more  will  He  be  the  same  forever !  He  has 
been  the  same  all  along  on  earth,  yea  and  He  will 
be  the  same  saviour  in  hell. 

And  we  will  be  with  Him  there.  Through  in- 
finite grace  we  will  be  permitted,  we  trust,  to  sit 
by  His  side  in  heaven,  to  work  by  His  side  in 
hell.  We  hardly  know  which  will  be  more  glori- 
ous. When  we  come  up  from  the  lurid  harvest 
fields  of  hell,  worn  with  struggle  and  pity,  bring- 
ing our  sheaves  with  us,  precious  immortal  souls 


THE  SAME  JESUS  51 

snatched  as  brands  from  hell's  burning,  saved  so 
as  by  fire ;  then  we  shall  see  the  King  in  His 
beauty.  We  shall  be  like  Him;  for  in  hell  we 
shall  have  seen  Him  truly  as  He  is.  We  will 
have  seen  the  glory  of  His  deathless,  all  conquer- 
ing love.  So  we  will  join,  oh,  how  rapturously! 
in  heaven's  completed  chorus  of  praise.  And 
what  will  be  its  theme.?  "To  Him  who  hath 
bought  us  and  redeemed  us  with  His  own  precious 
blood."  We  will  still  praise  Him  most  of  all  for 
that.  As  He  is  the  Lamb  slain  from  the  founda- 
tion of  the  world;  so  He  will  be  to  all  eternity, 
in  the  light  of  heaven's  wondering  love,  the  Lamb 
in  the  midst  of  the  throne,  a  lamb  as  it  had  been 
slain  —  just  our  own  crucified  Jesus :  the  sam.e 
yesterday,  to-day,  and  forever. 


KNEES  THAT  WILL  BOW 

"  Wherefore  God  also  hath  highly  exalted  him,  and  given 
him  a  name  that  is  above  every  name;  that  at  the  name 
of  Jesus  every  knee  should  bow  of  beings  in  heaven,  and 
in  earth,  and  under  the  earth;  and  that  every  tongue 
should  confess  that  Jesus  Christ  is  Lord  to  the  glory  of 
God  the  Father." — Philippians  ii,  9-11. 

This  is  a  great  announcement  made  by  One 
who  is  able  to  bring  it  to  pass.  Among  the 
inspired  prophecies  of  Isaiah,  God  proclaims, 
"  I  have  sworn  by  myself,  the  word  has  gone  out 
of  my  mouth  in  righteousness  and  shall  not  re- 
turn, That  unto  me  every  knee  shall  bow,  every 
tongue  shall  own  me."  The  inspired  Paul  quotes 
this  prophecy  in  the  epistle  to  the  Romans,  and 
with  its  brave  words  ringing  in  his  soul,  here 
in  Philippians  applies  it  to  Christ.  All  will 
agree  that  God  is  able  to  bring  it  to  pass.  With 
one  mighty  sweep  of  the  wind  of  the  spirit  He 
could  make  all  hearts  bow  —  in  heaven,  in 
earth,  in  hell.  To  the  ancient  mind,  Sheol, 
Hades,  Gehenna  were  under  the  supposedly 
plane  surface  of  the  earth.  The  promise  of  our 
text  refers  in  turn  to  spirits  beneath  as  well  as 
to  those  above. 

But  God  does  not  care  to  have  the  homage  of 
unwilling  knees.  All  knees  eventually  will  bow 
to  Jesus;  because  all  intellects  will  be  convinced 
5^ 


KNEES  THAT  WILL  BOW  53 

that  He  is  Lord,  all  hearts  will  learn  to  love 
and  trust  in  Him,  all  wills  shall  willingly  yield 
to  His.  It  is  His  right,  and  He  would  rather 
wait  than  have  it  yielded  by  constraint.  It  is 
as  true  of  one  as  of  another  that  we  are  not 
our  own,  we  are  bought  with  a  price  —  not  with 
corruptible  things  as  silver  and  gold,  but  with 
the  precious  blood  of  Christ.  "  When  thou 
shalt  make  his  soul  an  offering  for  sin,  he  shall 
see  his  seed."  God  has  given  all  to  Jesus,  and 
He  says  confidently,  "  All  that  the  Father 
giveth  me  will  come  to  me." 

"  Secure  I  fold  my  hands  and  wait. 
Nor  care  for  wind,  or  tide,  or  sea; 
I  rail  no  more  'gainst  time  and  fate; 
For  what  is  mine  will  come  to  me. 

I  stay  my  haste,  I    make  delays; 
For  what  avails  this  eager  pace.'' 
I  stand  amid  the  eternal  ways, 
And  what  is  mine  will  know  my  face. 

The  stars  come  nightly  to  the  sky. 
The  tidal  wave  unto  the  sea: 
Nor  time  nor  space,  nor  deep  nor  high 
Can  keep  my  own  away  from  me." 

If  you  or  I  can  rest  in  such  confidence,  how 
much  more  can  the  Lord  of  glory.''  Christ  holds 
out  His  arms  to  all  the  world :  "  Come  unto 
me !  "  He  cries,  but  waits  for  each  to  come  will- 
ingly.    He   will   have   no   soul   dragged   to   His 


54        GOSPEL  FOR  BOTH  WORLDS 

feet.  There  can  be  no  real  submission  that 
isn't  heart-submission.  I  have  seen  parents 
who  seemed  satisfied  to  have  their  children 
cower  and  obey:  would  it  satisfy  you?  Even 
if  all  hell  should  bow  the  knee  to  Christ,  cower- 
ing and  cringing  in  its  fear,  and  covering  a 
secret  hate;  would  that  satisfy  our  Saviour? 
He  has  given  His  love:  nothing  but  love  can 
compensate  Him  in  return.  He  could  hypnotize 
hell  into  passive  endurance  of  torment  without 
a  curse  to  snarl  back  at  its  judge.  God  could 
have  been  worshiped  by  a  race  of  moral 
puppets  all  these  ages,  if  He  had  cared. 

I  have  read  of  a  Georgia  revivalist  in  a 
former  day  who  had  been  appealed  to  during  a 
camp  meeting  by  a  mother  concerned  for  the 
salvation  of  her  graceless  son.  As  he  preached 
that  day,  his  eyes  continually  returned  to  the 
young  man's  furtive  face.  He  leveled  his  long 
finger  at  him  again  and  again.  He  stretched  out 
his  arms  to  him,  as  he  invited  penitents  to  the 
altar.  He  beckoned  to  him,  while  going  up 
and  down  the  aisles  between  plank  benches  start- 
ing sinners  to  the  mourners'  bench.  Finally 
patience  seemed  to  have  ceased  to  be  a  virtue. 
The  tall  form  of  the  evangelist  strode  in  among 
the  crowded  seats.  He  pleaded  with  the  young 
fellow  clinging  to  his  bench.  Then  he  got  him 
in  a  tender  but  altogether  irresistible  embrace, 
lifted  him  in  air  above  the  heads  of  those 
sitting     around,     carried     him     bodily     to     the 


KNEES  THAT  WILL  BOW  55 

mourners'  bench  and  deposited  him,  exclaiming, 
"  There !  you'll  go  through  the  motions  any- 
way." When  we  are  told  that  unto  Jesus  every 
knee  shall  bow:  God  does  not  promise  merely  to 
put  all  through  a  motion.  An  immortal  spirit 
can  only  be  said  to  bow  the  knee  when  its  whole 
being  freely  bows.  True  worshipers  must 
worship  in  spirit  and  in  truth;  for  the  Father 
seeketh  such  to  worship  Him.  We  take  it  that 
when  God  tells  us  every  knee  shall  yet  bow  to 
our  Christ,  He  means  that  they  shall  bow  in 
worship.  "  When  he  bringeth  the  first  begotten 
into  the  world,  he  saith,  And  let  all  the  angels 
of  God  worship  him."  And  "  unto  the  Son,  he 
saith.  Thy  throne,  O  God,  is  forever  and  ever." 
Christ's  name  is  above  every  name  —  human 
names,  angelic  names.  No  name  in  this  uni- 
verse stands  higher,  for  He  and  the  Father  are 
one.  The  same  promise  is  here  applied  to 
Christ  which  in  Isaiah  and  Romans  we  find  ap- 
plied to  God.  "  Unto  me  every  knee  shall  bow." 
"  At  the  name  of  Jesus  every  knee  should  bow." 
Those  who  have  loved  Him  and  followed  Him 
on  earth,  yet  have  not  fully  understood  His 
divine  nature ;  those  who  have  taken  His  name 
in  vain  in  careless  oaths ;  those  who  from  infancy 
have  learned  to  hate  the  name  of  Jesus:  every 
created  being  which  is  in  heaven,  and  on  the 
earth  and  under  the  earth  will  be  falling  down 
before  the  Lamb  at  last  and  saying,  "  Blessing, 
and  honor,  and  glory,  and  power  be  unto  Him 


56        GOSPEL  FOR  BOTH  WORLDS 

that  sitteth  upon  the  throne  and  unto  the  Lamb 
forever  and  ever."  They  will  bow  the  knee  in 
equal  worship  to  the  Two  who  are  One. 

At  the  name  of  Jesus  every  knee  shall  bow, 
not  only  in  submission,  but  in  allegiance.  It 
was  said  of  Alexander  the  Great  that  he  con- 
quered his  enemies  twice  —  first  with  the  sword, 
then  with  the  exceeding  kindness  of  his  clem- 
ency. Will  the  Captain  of  our  salvation  be  less 
humane?  He  punishes  as  justice  must;  yet  He 
punishes  only  to  save.  "  Before  I  was  afflicted 
I  went  astray,"  David  admits :  "  It  is  good  for 
me  that  I  have  been  afflicted;  that  I  might  learn 
thy  statutes." 

"  There  is  no  God,  the  foolish  saith. 
But  none.  There  is  no  sorrow; 
And  nature  oft  the  cry  of  faith 
In  bitter  need  will  borrow. 
Eyes  that  the  preacher  could  not  school 
By  wayside  graves  are  raised. 
And  lips  cry,  *  God  be  pitiful ! ' 
That  ne'er  said,  *  God  be  praised !  *  ** 

Friends,  I  believe  there  is  no  place  in  all  this 
universe  where  God's  love  yearns  more  eagerly 
to  mature  and  mellow  the  sweet  uses  of  adversity 
than  down  in  hell.  I  have  asked  you  parents 
if  you  will  any  of  you  be  content  to  have  the 
slavish  cowering  submission  of  your  children: 
I  ask  you  now  if  you  do  not  pride  yourself  in 
finding  ways  to  win  their  hearty  obedience,  so 


KNEES  THAT  WILL  BOW  57 

free,  so  voluntary,  so  ingrained  in  principle,  and 
so  spontaneous  in  love's  gladdest  impulses  that 
you  can  trust  it  anywhere  out  of  your  sight? 
Is  not  God  such  a  parent  as  this?  Will  He 
not  find  ways  far  different  from  coercion  to  make 
all  knees  bow?  "As  I  live,  saith  the  Lord  God, 
I  have  no  pleasure  in  the  death  of  the  wicked; 
but  in  order  that  the  wicked  turn  from  his  way 
and  live."  God  punishes  terribly  that  He  may 
forgive  eagerly,  when  we  repent.  A  punished 
child  clung  sobbing  to  her  father,  even  kissing 
his  hands.  "  What  makes  you  love  me  so  after 
I  have  chastened  you?  "  he  asked.  "  Because  I 
know  you  do  it  to  make  me  good."  There  are 
those  who  will  love  much,  because  they  have  been 
much  punished,  in  order  that  they  might  be  much 
forgiven.  Oh,  how  gratefully  these  will  bow  at 
the  blessed  nail-pierced  feet  at  last:  how  they 
will  kiss  the  rod  which  has  smitten  them  into 
penitence,  and  the  grace  that  has  sought  and 
found  them  in  hell's  darkest  caves  of  sin !  These 
are  the  last  that  shall  be  first  —  first  in  the 
wondrous  story  they  will  have  to  tell;  first  in 
their  j  oy  of  greatest  deliverance ;  first  in  their 
zeal;  not  to  make  amends,  Christ  alone  can  do, 
has  done  that;  but  in  their  zeal  to  serve  freely 
where  they  have  been  forgiven  freely,  and  to 
win  other  souls  from  sin's  strange  thralldom. 
Their  allegiance  will  be  the  more  hearty  because 
it  has  been  long  delayed,  and  their  faith  in 
Christ  will  be   the   stronger  because   they   have 


58       GOSPEL  FOR  BOTH  WORLDS 

waited  so  long  to  know  Him.     Think  with  what 
f eeHng  such  a  redeemed  one  can  sing  at  last :  — 

"  I  am  lowest  of  those  who  love  Him ; 
I  am  weakest  of  those  who  pray; 
But  I  come  as  He  has  bidden, 
And  He  will  not  say  me,  nay. 

The  mistakes  of  my  life  have  been  many. 

My  spirit  is  sick  with  sin. 
And  I  scarce  can  see  for  weeping; 

But  the  Saviour  will  let  me  in. 

My  mistakes  His  free  grace  will  cover. 

My  sins  He  will  wash  away, 
And  the  feet  that  shrink  and  falter 

Shall  walk  thro'  the  gates  of  day. 

I  know  I  am  weak  and  sinful. 
It  comes  to  me  more  and  more; 

But  when  the  dear  Saviour  shall  bid  me  come  in, 
I'll  enter  the  open  door." 

Yes,  every  knee  shall  bow,  and  every  tongue 
shall  confess  Jesus  as  its  Lord,  to  the  glory  of 
God  the  Father.  Nothing  else  could  possibly 
glorify  Him.  Is  a  great  king  glorified  by  the 
number  of  his  subjects  in  irons  and  in  dungeons? 
Is  he  not  rather  glorified  by  the  multitudes  of 
free  men  praising  his  beneficence  in  righting 
wrong?  There  are  prohibition  towns  where 
they  take  visitors  first  of  all  and  with  greatest 
pride  to   see   the   empty   jail.     Friends,   God   is 


KNEES  THAT  WILL  BOW  59 

working  toward  an  empty  hell.  There  are  no 
lands  on  this  planet  more  forward  in  social  and 
political  progress  than  Australia  and  New 
Zealand,  which  came  into  touch  with  civilization 
as  penal  colonies.  How  God  will  be  glorified 
when  knees  in  hell  begin  to  bow!  There  is  joy- 
in  the  presence  of  the  angels  of  God  over 
one  sinner  that  repenteth  anywhere,  always. 
How  heaven  must  rejoice  over  repentant  ones 
in  hell!  Are  there  none?  Then  this  text  is 
a  lie.  Blot  it  out  of  your  Bible;  for  it  lies. 
Blot  out  all  the  texts  upon  which  we  have  al- 
ready been  reflecting  in  this  series.  Each  is  a 
lie.  Take  the  text ;  "  God  is  love  " :  blot  it  out ; 
that  is  a  lie.  A  loving  God  could  not  possibly 
keep  a  hopeless  hell.  A  friend  who  was  super- 
intendent of  a  rescue  mission  tells  me  of  a  night 
when  they  prayed  long  with  a  poor  drunkard 
after  the  meeting.  He  wept  and  prayed  for 
himself;  but  found  no  hope.  At  last,  in  sheer 
weariness,  they  led  him  from  the  room  and  as 
they  closed  the  door  behind  them,  they  said  to 
him :  "  You  are  too  drunk,  to-night :  go  home 
and  pray  and  come  again  sober."  He  reeled  a 
few  yards  down  the  pavement;  then  fell  across 
the  curb  and  broke  his  neck.  My  friend  has 
a  hopeless  regret ;  but  I  say  to  him,  "  Will  not 
such  a  contrite  heart  repent  in  hell  and  be 
saved?"  "Him  that  cometh  unto  me,"  Jesus 
said,  "  I  will  in  no  wise  cast  out."  Our  Lord 
did  not  make  any  limitations:  why  should  we? 


60        GOSPEL  FOR  BOTH  WORLDS 

The  knees  that  do  not  bow  to  Christ  on  earth, 
will  bow  in  hell.  How  do  I  know  that?  Be- 
cause God's  word  here  tells  me  so.  Because 
every  instinct  of  the  believing  soul,  and  every 
rational  conclusion  of  the  inquiring  mind  tell  us 
so.  "  As  I  live,  saith  Jehovah,  unto  me  every 
knee  shall  bow."  Holland  in  the  conclusion  of 
his  "  Katrina  "  tells  of  the  voices  that  spoke  to  his 
soul,  after  his  prayerless  life,  by  his  wife's 
dying  bed.  The  wife  speaks  to  their  weeping 
daughter, — 

**  *  Be  silent,  dear ! 
Your  father  kneels  to  pray.     Make  room  for  him. 
That  he  may  kneel  beside  you.' 

At  her  words 
I  was  endowed  with  apprehensions  new; 
And  somewhere  in  my  quickened  consciousness 
I  felt  the  presence  of  her  heavenly  friends, 
And  knew  that  there  were  spirits  in  the  room. 
I  did  not  doubt,   nor  have  I  doubted  since. 
That  there  were  loving  witnesses  of  all 
The  scenes  enacted  round  that  hallowed  bed. 
Ay  and  they  spoke.     Deep  in  the  innermost 
I  heard  the  tender  words,    *  O  !  kneel,  my  son !  ' — 
A  sweet  monition  from  my  mother's  lips. 
'  Kneel !  kneel ! '      It  was  the  echo  of  a  throng. 
*  Kneel !  kneel !  '     The   gentle  mandate  reached  my 

heart 
From  depths  of  lofty  space.      It  was  the  voice 
Of  the  Good  Father. 

From  the  curtain  folds 
That  rustled  at  the  window,  in  the  airs 


KNEES  THAT  WILL  BOW  61 

That  moved  with  conscious  pulse  to  passing  wings 
Came  the  same  burden  *  Kneel !  ' 

*  Kneel,  kneel !     O  !  kneel ! ' 
In  tones  of  earnest  pleading  came  from  lips 
Already  pinched  by  death. 

A  hundred  worlds. 
Imposed  upon  my  shoulders,  had  not  bowed 
And  crushed  me  to  my  knees  with  surer  power. 
The  hand  that  lay  upon  my  daughter's  head 
Then  passed  to  mine;  but  still  my  lips  were  dumb. 
'  Pray ! '    said  the  spirit  of  my  mother. 

'Pray!* 
The  word  repeated  came  from  many  lips. 
*  Pray!  '  said  the  voice  of  God  within  my  soul; 
While  every  whisper  of  the  living  air 
Echoed  the  low  command. 

*  Pray !  pray !  O !  pray !  * 
My  dying  wife  entreated,  while  swift  tears 
Slid  to  her  pillow. 

Then  the  impulse  came. 
And  I  poured  out  like  water  all  my  heart." 

Some  day,  somewhere  those  voices  will  speak 
to  the  soul  of  everyone.  Some  day,  somewhere 
the  stubbornest  knees  will  bend,  the  hardest  heart 
will  plead  for  mercy.  God's  word  tells  us  so. 
"  That  at  the  name  of  Jesus  every  knee  should 
bow."  The  skeptic  some  day  will  bow:  his  last 
question  answered:  his  last  objection  overborne; 
and  cry  with  doubting  Thomas,  "  My  Lord  and 
my  God !  "  Some  day  the  last  persecutor's  knee 
will  bow  to  ask  with  Saul  of  Tarsus,  "  Lord, 
what  wilt  Thou  have  me  to  do."     Last  of  all,  even 


62        GOSPEL  FOR  BOTH  WORLDS 

the  hypocrite  will  some  day  learn  truly  to  pray, 
and  beg,  along  with  Simon  Magus,  that  honest 
men  will  entreat  God's  pardon  on  his  most  sinful 
soul  of  all.  Oh,  look  and  see  them,  out  in 
eternity,  bowing  spirits'  knees  to  Jesus !  The 
spirit  of  Cain  is  claiming  Christ's  expiatory 
sacrifice  in  place  of  its  own  futile  thank  offering. 
The  spirit  of  Pharaoh  is  bowing  to  the  King 
of  kings.  Pharisees  and  Sadducees,  Pilate  and 
Herod  and  Judas  kneel.  Nero  and  Marcus 
Aurelius  and  Julian  pray.  Socrates,  Zoroaster 
and  Confucius  sit  at  the  feet  of  Jesus.  Alexan- 
der and  Napoleon  lay  their  crowns  before  Him. 
Huxley  finds  his  soul,  and  Theodore  Parker 
owns  his  Lord.  Even  Ingersoll  learns  rev- 
erence. Far  out  in  hell,  boldest  rebellious 
spirits  are  yielding  to  love's  absolutism,  and 
pleading  for  forgiveness  in  the  name  of  the 
Saviour  who  died  also  for  them.  Look!  look! 
even  demons  bow  the  knee.  Oh,  wonderful  re- 
deeming love!  hear  each  exclaiming  in  turn, 
"  There's  grace  enough  for  me ! "  Wait  — 
what  do  we  see.?  The  Father  of  Evil  himself 
yields  to  the  power  of  conviction  of  sin.  His 
last  self-deceiving  argument  for  continued 
rebellion  has  failed  him.  Love  in  severity  has 
robbed  him  of  his  last  motive  for  continuance 
in  sin.  He  sees  himself  somewhat  as  God  sees 
him.  Shame,  contrition,  yearning  for  forgive- 
ness overpower  him.  He  realizes  that  there;  is 
no  atonement  he  can  make.     The   eternity  still 


KNEES  THAT  WILL  BOW  63 

to  be  is  too  short  for  reparation.  With  an 
infinite  sob,  he  stoops  to  the  nail-pierced  feet 
where  alone  there  is  pardon  for  such  as  he,  for 
such  as  you,  for  such  as  I.  He  who  once  tempted 
Christ  by  the  price  of  all  the  kingdoms  of  the 
world  to  give  one  bow,  now  bows  the  knee.  Oh 
joy!  oh  glory!  the  great  Enemy  has  yielded. 
The  Adversary  has  become  a  convert.  Saved 
ones  stand  on  tip-toe;  angels  whisper  it  across 
the  farthest  reach  of  heaven,  "  Behold  he 
prayeth ! "  The  bitter  hate  of  ages  melts  away 
from  the  blackest  heart  of  the  universe.  Love 
waves  the  banner  of  eternal  triumph  on  its  last 
battlefield  as  Satan  bows  the  adoring  knee  to 
Christ,  crying,  "  Be  merciful  to  me  a  sinner ! " 

Now  the  Father  God  is  completely  glorified. 
His  love  is  glorified;  for  it  has  won  over  the 
last  and  most  malignant  enemy.  His  power  is 
glorified;  for  it  has  subdued  even  the  hearts  of 
His  foes.  His  justice  is  glorified;  because  it  has 
provided  an  atonement  which  avails  for  infinite 
crimes.  His  eternal  foreknowledge  is  glorified; 
because  it  has  foreseen  this  all-satisfying  end 
from  the  beginning.  His  wisdom  is  glorified  for 
having  conceived  a  plan  of  salvation  which  has 
proved  all-embracing  and  has  brought  out  the 
world  really  gladder  and  better  than  if  nothing 
had  ever  gone  wrong  in  it.  God's  fatherhood  is 
glorified  as  never  before;  for  the  great  prodigal 
son  of  God  has  come  to  himself  and  returned  to 
his  Father's  house. 


VI 
THE  GATES  NEVER  SHUT 

"  And  the  city  had  no  need  of  the  sun,  neither  of  the 
moon,  to  shine  in  it:  for  the  glory  of  God  did  lighten  it, 
and  the  Lamb  is  the  light  thereof.  And  the  nations  of 
them  which  are  saved  shall  walk  in  the  light  of  it:  and 
the  kings  of  the  earth  do  bring  their  glory  and  honor 
into  it.  And  the  gates  of  it  shall  not  be  shut  at  all  by 
day:  for  there  shall  be  no  night  there." — Revelation  xxi, 
23-25, 

So  St.  Peter  at  the  closed  gate  is  all  wrong. 
Here  we  have  a  city  with  twelve  gates,  and  all 
of  them  wide  open. 

It  is  true  that  Our  Lord  said  to  Peter,  "  I  will 
give  unto  thee  the  keys  of  the  kingdom  of 
heaven:  and  whatsoever  thou  shalt  bind  on  earth 
shall  be  bound  in  heaven;  and  whatsoever  thou 
shalt  loose  on  earth,  shall  be  loosed  in  heaven." 
But  He  said  the  same  with  regard  to  all  Christian 
friendships  as  a  warning  against  severing  them 
lightly.  Every  worker  for  God  carries  keys  to 
the  kingdom  of  heaven.  Each  text  of  the 
preacher  or  teacher  is  a  key.  One  will  admit 
one  soul,  one  another  soul  into  the  kingdom  of 
heaven,  which  is  one  kingdom  here  and  hereafter. 
Take  that  key;  John  iii,  16,  "  God  so  loved  the 
world,  that  he  gave  his  only  begotten  Son,  that 
whosoever  believeth  in  Him  should  not  perish, 
but  have  everlasting  life."  Take  this  key, 
John  i,  12,  "  But  as  many  as  received  him,  to 
64^ 


THE  GATES  NEVER  SHUT    65 

them  gave  he  power  to  become  the  sons  of  God, 
even  to  them  that  beheve  on  his  name."  How 
many  souls  have  entered  the  kingdom  just  by 
these  two  keys !  It  is  your  high  privilege  as 
well  as  mine  to  carry  such  keys  and  admit  many 
a  precious  soul  to  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  know- 
ing assuredly  that  those  thus  truly  bound  to 
Christ  on  earth  will  be  bound  to  Him  in  heaven. 

The  more  modern  traditional  picture  of  the 
angel  in  charge  of  the  high,  locked  gate  is  equally 
untrue  to  our  text.  We  read  earlier  in  this 
chapter  that  the  heavenly  city  John  saw  had 
a  wall  great  and  high,  and  had  twelve  gates, 
and  at  the  gates  twelve  angels;  but  as  these 
gates  are  here  spoken  of  as  never  shut ;  we  should 
rather  think  of  the  attendant  angels  as  there  to 
sound  out  the  call  of  invitation  to  the  open  gates. 

No  man  nor  angel  will  have  a  right  to  stand 
over  closed  gates  at  last  admitting  applicants  to 
a  locked  and  guarded  heaven.  Jesus  says,  "  I 
am  the  way,  the  truth,  and  the  life:  no  man 
cometh  unto  the  Father  but  by  me."  "  I  am 
the  door:  by  me  if  any  man  enter  in,  he  shall 
be  saved."  Thank  God!  the  heart  of  Christ  is 
not  a  locked  and  guarded  door  to  heaven;  but 
one  wide  open  to  every  needy  soul. 

And  yet  we  are  told  in  the  closing  verse  of 
this  chapter  about  the  city :  "  There  shall  in 
no  wise  enter  into  it  anything  that  defileth." 
The  gate  stands  open;  yet  some  cannot  enter. 
That   is   because   the   inability    is   in   themselves. 


66       GOSPEL  FOR  BOTH  WORLDS 

Heaven  would  be  horrible  to  the  hypocrite:  it 
would  be  torture  to  the  depraved.  Impurity 
would  shrink  from  its  light,  and  hate  would  be 
forever  repelled  by  its  love.  How  can  oppo- 
site poles  of  free  magnets  be  taught  to  approach 
one  another  .f^  Are  high  walls  and  barred  gates 
needed  to  keep  them  forever  apart  from  each 
other  ? 

Birds  of  a  feather  flock  together.  Like  seeks 
like.  The  great  gulf  fixed  between  Lazarus 
and  Dives  need  only  be  the  gulf  between  soul 
and  selfishness,  between  manhood  and  beasthood, 
between  virtue  and  vice,  between  holiness  and 
hypocrisy.  When  all  souls  stand  free  and  bare, 
the  law  of  congeniality  will  solve  the  problem 
of  separation. 

Wide  open  gates ;  but  paralyzed  souls  cannot 
walk  into  them.  There  is  no  need  of  chains  to 
hold  you  under  the  sea,  when  your  heart  is  lead. 
Like  Judas,  each  goes  to  his  own  place.  All  the 
craft  of  hell  couldn't  keep  him  from  doing  it. 
The  man  without  the  wedding  garment  needs 
little  force  to  cast  him  out.  With  confusion  of 
face,  he  will  slink  to  the  outer  darkness.  Hell  is 
the  covert  of  unwashed  souls.  The  utmost 
horror  of  hell  will  be  its  aversion  for  heaven. 
The  fascination  which  the  flame  has  for  the 
moth,  which  the  serpent  exerts  upon  its  pray, 
wiU  make  sin-tortured  souls  prefer  to  be  in  hell. 
The  man  who  leaves  his  cheery  home,  with  its 
nestling  aff*ections,  for  the  saloon,  the  gambling 


THE  GATES  NEVER  SHUT    67 

den,  the  club,  and  the  brothel  already  has  his 
destination  in  eternity  written  upon  his  soul's 
forehead.  He  is  infatuated  with  hell.  Ephraim 
is  joined  to  his  idols.  Draw  him  if  you  could 
into  the  center  of  heaven's  innocent  mirth  and 
sweet  purity.  He  will  be  homesick  for  hell,  his 
father's  house.  Inevitably,  with  an  unchanged 
heart,  he  will  return  to  hell  like  a  dog  to  its 
vomit,  and  as  a  sow  that  was  washed  to  her  wal- 
lowing in  the  mire. 

But  hell,  you  say,  is  a  prison  house  of  irk- 
someness.  So  is  the  stock  exchange  to  its  most 
eager  gambler.  So  is  society's  drawing-room 
to  the  blase  dilettante.  Perhaps  the  most  cruel 
punishment  of  sin  is  the  conflict  it  creates  in  the 
man's  will.  The  evil  that  I  would  not,  that  I 
do.  The  soul  lacerates  itself  with  its  own  hate 
—  and  hates  the  more.  Without  repentance 
for  sin,  to  wish  that  we  might  leave  hell,  even 
with  weeping  and  gnashing  of  teeth,  would  be 
only  to  shut  ourselves  further  in.  The  damned 
soul  that  raves  and  struggles  and  curses  its  fate 
is  thus  the  deeper  damned.  Many  shall  seek  to 
enter  in;  but  shall  not  be  able.  Hell  has  many 
doors  all  opening  inward  and  downward:  there 
can  be  only  one  door  opening  out.  "  I  am  the 
Door,"  Jesus  says. 

If  I  may  put  the  truth  as  it  comes  to  me  into 
the  form  of  a  vision  of  the  future  world;  I  see 
the  city  glorious  with  gates,  three  in  a  side,  so 
wide,  it  is  as  if  there  were  no  walls.     To  each 


68        GOSPEL  FOR  BOTH  WORLDS 

gate  an  avenue  of  light  converges  from  the 
outermost  rim  of  the  universe,  and  white  robed 
throngs  press  in  freely,  unchallenged,  for  each 
comer  has  a  Name  in  his  forehead.  King  and 
peasant  press  in  side  by  side,  having  white  robes 
and  with  palms  in  their  hands.  They  bring  the 
glory  and  honor  of  the  nations,  the  constella- 
tions into  it.  The  gates  open  to  every  quarter 
of  God's  sentient  universe;  for  which  reason 
there  are  three  on  a  side;  and  yet  far  out  and 
down  I  see  a  vast  shadowland  teeming  with 
ahen  souls  who  have  no  entrance  into  the  city. 
Many  of  these  I  see  Hfting  up  their  eyes,  being 
in  torment,  straining  their  vision  out  of  the 
mirk  to  catch  some  vista  of  Paradise.  Some  I 
see  striving  confidently  to  climb  thither  that  they 
may  enter  one  of  the  open  gates.  They  ask  no 
help,  they  crave  no  pity,  they  seek  no  king's 
highway;  but  doggedly,  self-confidently,  even 
rebelliously  they  strive  to  go  up  each  some  other 
way.  I  see  them  approach  assured  of  success, 
and  then  I  see  them  suddenly  blown  like  chaff 
away,  away.  I  see  them  rebound  as  if  from 
some  invisible  elastic  barrier.  And  when  I  ask 
the  giver  of  the  vision,  I  am  told  that  something 
within  the  soul  of  the  seeker  himself  causes  the 
rebound.  Until  that  strange  something  within 
is  neutralized  and  taken  away,  each  may  toil 
and  climb,  and  strain  over  and  over  again,  he 
may  come  about  so  near  to  the  open  pearly 
gate,  but  he  can  never,  never  hope  to  enter  in. 


THE  GATES  NEVER  SHUT    69 

Who  then  will  enter  the  gates  that  are  never 
shut?  We  find  the  answers  near  our  text  and 
they  are  plain  to  the  reason  of  every  thoughtful 
soul.  First:  there  is  entrance  there  for  those 
who  do  the  King's  commandments.  We  read, 
"  Blessed  are  they  that  do  his  commandments, 
that  they  may  have  right  to  the  tree  of  life  and 
that  they  may  enter  in  through  the  gates  into 
the  city."  "  Blessed  are  the  pure  in  heart ;  for 
thei/  shall  see  God."  It  has  been  well  said  that 
heaven's  gates  are  wide  enough  to  admit  many 
sinners ;  but  too  narrow  to  admit  any  sin.  Who 
enters  there  must  leave  sin  behind.  Heaven  is 
character.  While  no  man  is  saved  by  his  works ; 
each  must  be  saved  into  holiness,  without  which 
no  man  can  see  the  Lord.  It  is  exactly  be- 
cause all  real  right  doing  is  God's  work  in  us, 
and  not  in  any  sense  our  own  achievement,  ex- 
cept as  we  yield  ourselves,  consciously  or  uncon- 
sciously, to  the  saving  power  of  the  indwelling 
Christ;  it  is  exactly  for  this  reason  that  we  are 
compelled  to  demand  of  ourselves  and  have  a 
right  to  expect  in  others  a  changed  life  as  a 
proof  of  acceptance  with  God  and  as  the  condi- 
tion of  a  reasonable  hope  of  heaven.  You 
say,  "  Did  not  Jesus  promise  heaven  to  the  peni- 
tent thief?  "  Yes,  but  it  was  to  one  who  had  just 
shown  contrition  for  his  deeds,  and  an  humble 
longing  for  better  things.  He  did  not  promise  it 
to  him  to  encourage  you  or  me  in  any  kind  of  re- 
spectable thieving.     Did  He  not  refuse  to  con- 


70        GOSPEL  FOR  BOTH  WORLDS 

demn  the  woman  taken  in  adultery?  Yes,  but 
He  told  her  to  go  and  sin  no  more.  He  doesn't 
wish  any  of  us  to  imagine  that  He  will  condone 
even  that  adultery  of  the  heart  of  which  He 
speaks  so  sternly  in  any  one  of  us.  You'll 
have  to  quit  that,  sir,  or  stay  out  of  heaven. 
"  Be  not  deceived :  God  is  not  mocked :  whatso- 
ever a  man  soweth  that  shall  he  also  reap." 
Continuing  in  sin  can  never  make  grace  abound. 
On  the  contrary,  it  will  kill  the  grace  out  of  your 
heart  in  spite  of  all  manner  of  pious  expedients. 
"  Why  call  ye  me,  Lord,  Lord,"  Jesus  says, 
"  and  do  not  the  things  which  I  say?  "  "  Many 
shall  say  unto  me  in  that  day.  Lord,  Lord,  have 
we  not  prophesied  in  thy  name?  and  in  thy  name 
have  cast  out  devils?  and  in  thy  name  done  many 
wonderful  works?  And  then  will  I  profess  unto 
them,  I  never  knew  you :  depart  from  me,  ye  that 
work  iniquity." 

Heaven's  gate  knows  no  compromises  with 
sin-lovers,  however  plausible.  Heaven  is  for 
honest  men. 

*'  Poor  sad  humanity 
Turns  back  with  bleeding  feet. 
By  the  weary  way  it  came. 
Unto  the  simple  thought 
By  the  great  Master  taught. 
And  that  remaineth  still: 
Not  he  that  repeateth  the  name, 
But  he  that  doeth  the  will." 


THE  GATES  NEVER  SHUT    71 

"  If  a  man  love  me,"  Jesus  says,  "  he  will  keep 
my  instruction,"  and  surely  heaven  could  not 
be  heaven  to  one  who  did  not  love  his  Saviour. 
What  could  be  more  self-evidently  true  than  the 
chorus  of  the  old-time  revival  hymn  :  — 

"  Oh  you  must  be  a  lover  of  the  Lord, 
Or  you  can't  go  to  heaven  when  you  die  **  ? 

Dear  friend,  do  you  love  God?  Are  you  try- 
ing by  Christ's  help  to  please  Him  perfectly? 
It  is  worth  while  for  you  to  stop  and  think  about 
this  a  moment;  because,  you  know,  so  much  de- 
pends upon  it. 

" 'Tis  a  point  I  long  to  know; 

Oft  the  theme  of  anxious  thought: 
Do  I  love  the  Lord  or  no? 
Am  I  His  or  am  I  not." 

You  reply,  "  I  cannot  love  Him  in  an  inter- 
ested way  —  just  to  gain  heaven  thereby."  No; 
a  thousand  times  no.  Love  Him,  because  you 
have  let  Him  save  you.  Love  Him,  because  you 
cannot  help  it.  If  you  can  help  loving  God  in 
Christ;  heaven  is  no  place  for  you.  You  would 
be  like  a  cat  in  a  strange  garret.  Until  you 
have  a  heart  to  love  God  your  Saviour,  you  have 
no  heart  for  heaven.  You  will  really  be  more 
comfortable  elsewhere.  Go  on  living  your  cold, 
correct  life.  Go  on  flaunting  your  self-made, 
self-satisfied,  unimpeachable  correctness  in  God's 
face  for  a  while,  here  if  you  will:  I  defy  you 


72        GOSPEL  FOR  BOTH  WORLDS 

to  take  it  into  heaven  and  flaunt  it  there.  You 
will  not  have  on  the  wedding  garment:  your 
righteousness  will  show  as  filthy  rags  in  heaven's 
light.  You  have  pleased  yourself  with  your 
morality  all  your  life:  you  have  never  pleased 
God.  You  have  not  done  the  first  thing  He  com- 
mands you.  "  Thou  shalt  love  the  Lord  thy 
God  with  all  thy  heart."  "  This  is  the  work  of 
God,  that  ye  believe  on  him  whom  he  hath  sent." 
"  Without  faith  it  is  impossible  to  please  God  " : 
because  we  cannot  do  His  will  except  by  trusting 
in  His  great  help.  We  may  measure  up  to  our 
own  standard:  we  may  possibly  measure  up  to 
our  neighbor's  standard  for  us;  but  who  can 
dare  to  think  that  he  has  measured  up  to  God's 
standard ;  — "  Be  ye  perfect  even  as  your  Father 
in  heaven  is  perfect."  So  we  come  to  realize 
that  admission  to  heaven's  open  gate  belongs  — 
Secondly:  to  the  blood-washed  and  redeemed. 
Isaiah  tells  us,  "  The  redeemed  of  the  Lord  shall 
walk  there."  And  John,  here  in  Revelation,  is 
told  of  the  great  multitude  before  the  throne, 
"  These  are  they  which  have  come  out  of  great 
tribulation,  and  have  washed  their  robes,  and 
made  them  white  in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb." 

For  beings  of  any  sphere  who  have  never 
known  sin  or  defilement,  heaven's  gates  of  course, 
stand  open  wide;  but  for  the  spirit  which  in  its 
whole  existence  has  harbored  one  impure  or  re- 
bellious thought  there  must  be  an  atonement,  a 
redemption,    a    washing   in   some   fountain    open 


THE  GATES  NEVER  "SHUT  73 

for  sin  and  for  uncleanness.  One  who  had 
never  heard  of  the  all-sufficient  redemption  of  our 
Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ;  might,  by  mus- 
ing upon  the  majesty  of  God's  moral  law,  the 
impossibility  of  making  a  wrong  past  right 
ourselves,  readily  reach  the  unanswerable  con- 
clusion that  somewhere,  some  time  God  had  pro- 
vided an  infinite  sacrifice  for  sin,  somewhere  a 
divine  Saviour  had  died  that  sinners  might  live. 
He  might  confidently  explore  the  history  of 
race  by  race,  or  signal  questioningly  from  planet 
to  planet  in  search  of  the  one  great  atonement 
which  a  just  and  loving  God  must  necessarily 
have  provided  for  sinful  ones,  that  they  might 
be  redeemed  and  sanctified  and  brought  back 
home  to  His  heart  again.  How  else  could  He 
be  just,  and  yet  a  justifier  of  those  imperfect 
ones  who  diligently  seek  to  be  reconciled  to 
Him?  God  cannot  be  God,  and  open  heaven's 
gates  to  guilty  rebels,  saying  simply,  "  Never 
mind  about  your  past."  "  The  soul  that  sin- 
neth  it  shall  die."  There  is  no  alternative  ex- 
cept that  the  sinless  infinite  One  should  die  in 
his  stead. 

There  is  no  way  for  lost  and  ruined  sinners 
like  us  to  reach  heaven's  gate ;  but  past  the  cross 
of  Calvary.  Consciously  or  unconsciously, 
here  or  hereafter,  each  must  get  under  the  blood, 
the  precious  blood  of  Christ  that  cleanseth  from 
all  sin.  Our  own  amendment  will  not  bring  us 
to   heaven's    gate:    our   prayers    and   tears    will 


74        GOSPEL  FOR  BOTH  WORLDS 

never  bring  us  there,  except  as  these  movings 
toward  God  and  goodness  may  unconsciously 
lay  hold  upon  Christ. 

"  Nor  alms  nor  deeds  that  I  have  done 
Can  for  a  single  sin  atone; 
To  Calvary  alone  I  flee. 
O  Godj  be  merciful  to  me !  " 

You  say  you  have  heard  this  so  often.  Thank 
your  God,  dear  friend,  that  you  are  hearing  it 
again;  for  in  its  offer  the  way  to  heaven's  gate 
is  pointed  out  again  to  you.  Along  a  well  kept 
highway  many  sign  posts  say  nearly  the  same 
thing.  Christ  challenges  you  to  find  any  other 
way.  He  is  your  only  hope.  That  which  com- 
pels the  assent  of  our  reason  should  be  heard 
over  as  often  as  need  be,  until  we  are  moved 
to  appropriate  action.  Get  under  the  blood, 
brother.  Nothing  else  can  wash  away  your 
sin.  All  the  seas  could  not  wash  Lady  Mac- 
beth's  little  white  hand.  But  the  precious  blood 
of  Christ  which  cleanseth  from  all  sin  can  wash 
the  guiltiest  soul  white  for  entrance  at  the  pearly 
gate. 

No  sin-stains  in  heaven:  heaven  Is  the  spotless 
town.  If  we  say  we  have  no  sin ;  we  deceive 
ourselves,  and  the  truth  is  not  in  us.  If  we 
confess  our  sins,  God  through  Christ  is  faithful 
and  just  to  forgive  us  our  sins,  and  to  cleanse 
us  from  all  unrighteousness. 


THE  GATES  NEVER  SHUT    75 

"*We  are  sweeping  through  the  gates  of  the  New 
Jerusalem, 
Washed  in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb." 

Heaven  is  only  for  these  two :  those  who  have 
never  sinned,  and  those  who  have  been  redeemed 
from  sin.  Which  class  will  we  claim  as  our  own, 
and  thereby  feel  most  sure  of  entering  heaven, 
most  sure  of  feeling  restfully  our  right  to  be 
there  ? 

For  the  redeemed,  who  keep  His  command- 
ments: under  this  double  condition  we  find  near 
our  text  that  entrance  through  the  open  gates 
of  heaven  is  eternally  promised  —  In  the  third 
place:  to  whosoever  wills  to  enter  there.  This  is 
the  crowning  word  of  sacred  revelation:  this  is 
its  last  inspired  gleam  of  the  vision  of  the  here- 
after. "  The  Spirit  and  the  bride  say,  Come. 
And  let  him  that  heareth  say,  Come.  And  let 
him  that  is  athirst  come.  And  whosoever  will, 
let  him  take  the  water  of  life  freely." 

Whosoever  heareth  shout,  shout  the  sound; 
Send  the  blessed  word  the  universe  around; 
Spread  the  glorious  news  wherever  sin  is  found; 
Whosoever  will  may  come. 

Whosoever  will!  whosoever  will! 
Send  the  proclamation  over  earth  and  hell, 
*Tis  the  loving  Father  calls  each  wanderer  home: 
Whosoever  will  may  come! 


76        GOSPEL  FOR  BOTH  WORLDS 

There  is  no  time  limit  to  this  invitation:  it 
goes  from  the  gates  that  never,  never  will  be 
shut:  it  sounds  out  wistfully,  yearningly,  cease- 
lessly, eternally  from  heaven's  gates,  from 
heaven's  home,  from  heaven's  heart ;  — "  Come ! 
oh,  come !  still  come !  "  It  echoes  down  the  de- 
files of  the  centuries;  it  sounds  above  the  clamor 
and  the  wassail  of  a  troubled  planet:  it  is  re- 
peated in  every  language  and  tongue ;  it  thrills 
this  world  and  this  universe  with  its  longing;  it 
is  caught  from  lip  to  lip,  from  soul  to  soul. 

'*  Pass    along   the   invitation,    whosoever   will    may 
come." 

Aye,  pass  it  on !  It  is  for  all  climes,  for  all 
ages,  for  the  centuries  that  are  near  at  hand  and 
for  the  eternities  that  are  still  to  come.  As  long 
as  God's  heart  throbs  in  pity,  as  long  as  one 
lost  soul  lingers  in  outer  darkness,  the  precious 
invitation  will  sound  on.  Heaven  is  for  who- 
soever will.  Whosoever  will  turn  his  back  upon 
sin  —  on  earth,  in  hell ;  whoever  will  cry  to  God 
for  mercy;  whoever  will  stretch  his  empty  arms 
of  faith  toward  the  infinite  Saviour;  whosoever 
will  believe  on  the  only  begotten  Son  God  gave 
for  love  of  His  kosmos  shall  not  perish  any- 
where, but  shall  have  everlasting  life.  If  the 
invitation  meant  less ;  it  would  not  truly  be  a 
whosoever.  A  limited  whosoever  is  no  whosoever. 
God  would  not  put  out  a  fake  invitation.  To 
be  a  true  '  whosoever '  the  invitation  must  be  made 


THE  GATES  NEVER  SHUT    77 

known  as  well  and  familiarly  to  one  as  to  an- 
other. In  the  long  run  of  the  ages,  every  soul 
must  have  the  gospel  message  as  plainly  as  the 
most  favored  ones  of  earth.  Each  must  feel 
the  Spirit's  pleading.  Otherwise  it  is  simply 
not  a  '  whosoever.'  God  is  not  mocked ;  neither 
will  He  mock.  Omnipotent  love  is  pressing  this 
invitation,  "  Whjosoever  will  may  come."  God 
is  following  men  up  with  it  and  will  to  all 
eternity,  until  the  last  one  comes.  If  you  have 
not  yet  yielded  to  His  loving  invitation;  yield 
to-day.  You  only  make  it  harder  for  yourself 
—  nothing  is  hard  for  God  —  by  your  delaying. 
If  you  must  see  hell;  be  sure  God's  love  will 
seek  you  out  there ;  but  oh  the  loss  and  wretched- 
ness meanwhile  for  you!  Oh  the  endless  regret 
to  chasten  heaven  for  you  afterwards !  "  Turn 
ye !  turn  ye ;  for  why  will  ye  die  ?  "  I  have  en- 
deavored to  point  you  out  the  straight  road  to 
heaven's  open  gate  down  low  by  the  cross  of 
Calvary.  If  you  prefer  to  go  a  terrible  long 
way  round  through  hell;  until,  with  the  anguish 
of  multiplied  remorse,  you  find  yourself  there  low 
at  the  cross  saved  as  by  fire  at  last  where  you 
might  find  pardon  and  peace  and  abundant  en- 
trance to-day ;  all  I  can  say  is,  You  poor  fool, 
God  pity  you  because  of  the  infinite  debt  of 
rejected  love  you  are  piling  up  for  the  sure 
reckonings  of  eternity. 

No,   you   will   come   to-day.     Now   is   the    ac- 
cepted time :  now  is  the  day  of  salvation :  to-day 


78        GOSPEL  FOR  BOTH  WORLDS 

if  ye  will  hear  His  voice,  harden  not  your  hearts. 
Heaven's  gate  stands  open  wide  to  you  to-day, 
and  oh!  thank  God!  you  are  turning  into  the 
way.  Now  it  only  remains  to  beckon  to  others: 
let  him  that  heareth  say  come.  Together,  hand 
in  hand,  singing  the  song  of  the  redeemed,  we 
will  go  sweeping  in  at  the  ever  open  gate.  By 
God's  help  we  will  go  out  and  find  others  in 
hell's  shadow  land  and  bring  them  in;  for  while 
there  is  one  still  left  without;  the  call  will  echo 
through  the  universe,  echo  through  the  emptied 
caverns  of  perdition ;  yet  there  is  room. 


VII 
THE  SACREDNESS  OF  HELL 

"  These  shall  go  away  into  aeonian  punishment ;  but  the 
righteous  into  life  aeonian." — Matt,  xxv,  46. 

Did  you  ever  hear  a  preacher  of  the  present, 
or  of  the  preceding  generation  preach  from  this 
text?  I  never  did.  I  confess  I  never  preached 
from  it  myself  before.  But  if  you  will  let  me 
Use  the  word  that  Jesus  used;  I  will  try  to 
preach  from  it  in  all  faithfulness  this  morning; 
and,  what  is  more,  I  expect  to  go  on  preaching 
from  it  till  I  die. 

If  we  really  believe  it;  there  is  no  text  in  the 
Bible  which  commands  us  that  it  should  be 
preached  as  this  one  does,  God  says,  "  Son  of 
man,  when  I  say  unto  the  wicked,  Thou  shalt 
surely  die;  and  thou  givest  him  not  warning, 
nor  speakest  to  warn  the  wicked  from  his  wicked 
way  to  save  his  life ;  the  same  wicked  man  shall 
die  in  his  iniquity;  but  his  blood  will  I  require 
at  thy  hand." 

We  wish  no  blood  of  souls  upon  our  hands. 
All  that  deters  many  an  earnest,  faithful  preacher 
of  the  gospel  to-day  from  announcing  this  text 
is  that  he  has  no  certain,  frank,  undoubted  and 
undoubtable  message  to  give  men  from  it.  He 
doesn't  know  what  to  say,  he  doesn't  know  what 
to  think  about  it;  so,  perforce,  he  remains  silent. 
79 


80        GOSPEL  FOR  BOTH  WORLDS 

Our  forefathers  believed  it,  even  in  the  literal- 
ness  of  its  mistranslation;  and  preached  it  till 
the  benches  shook  as  men  sat  and  trembled  upon 
them.  Then  Christianity  had  power.  Go  into 
the  villages  and  country  places  of  our  eastern 
states,  and  you  will  find  old  churches  —  great, 
barn-like  structures,  all  one  room  inside,  with 
pews  close  together  and  galleries  around  three 
sides.  They  were  built  in  the  days  when  men 
believed  in  hell.  Everyone  came  to  church  then. 
Men  were  interested  to  know  what  might  become 
of  them  in  eternity.  And  they  generally  heard 
something   pertinent   to   that   subject. 

It  is  a  subject  somewhat  avoided  in  the  preach- 
ing of  to-day  —  and  men  go  to  church  occa- 
sionally, when  there  is  some  especial  attraction. 
On  this  theme  of  eternity  the  modern  gospel 
trumpet  gives  an  uncertain  sound.  Our  minis- 
try would  be  grieved  to  the  heart  to  be  accused 
of  weakening  the  belief  of  men  in  immortality ; 
yet  this  is  the  inevitable  result  of  any  lack  of  defi- 
niteness  and  strong  conviction  in  our  preaching 
with  regard  to  the  eternal  destiny  of  souls.  The 
present  life  was  never  so  alluring  in  the  illusion 
of  its  nearer  vista  than  it  is  to-day.  It  was 
never  easier  to  forget  eternity  in  the  interests 
of  time.  Consequently,  the  world  has  never  so 
greatly  needed  a  message  of  flaming  intensity 
and  overwhelming  reasonableness  with  regard  to 
the  future  life.  Just  now,  when  the  blare  of  the 
life  that  now  is  comes  so  continually  upon  our 


THE  SACREDNESS  OF  HELL        81 

ears,  is  the  time  of  all  the  ages  when  we  most 
have  needed  a  clarion  note  of  appeal  and  of 
warning  with  regard  to  the  life  which  is  to  come. 
To  let  our  message  on  this  theme  which  is  really 
worth  while  sink,  at  this  juncture,  to  an  incoherent 
mumble,  is  to  relax  the  one  sure  hold  religion 
once  had  on  the  consciences  of  men.  They  do  not 
readily  take  stock  in  dim  uncertainties.  "  Let  us 
live  for  to-day,"  they  think ;  "  that,  at  least,  is 
real.     '  Take  the  cash,  and  let  the  credit  go.'  " 

It  is  the  before  and  after  that  give  life  its 
dignity  and  meaning.  Man's  creation  in  the 
image  of  God;  his  destiny  eternally  to  deal  with 
God  —  these  beliefs  alone  cast  out  what  is  brut- 
ish. When  our  preaching  gets  shaky  about  the 
creation  and  fall  of  man,  and  shady  about  his 
hereafter,  we  simply  forestall  the  time  when  the 
auctioneer's  notice  will  be  tacked  on  the  church 
door.  An  era  of  unspeakable  graft  and  mean- 
ness coupled  with  a  languid  outward  deference 
for  Christianity  is  the  natural  result  of  vague 
teaching  about  heaven  and  hell.  If  we  believe 
in  eternal  hopeless  hell  fire  for  those  who  have 
not  made  their  peace  with  God  in  this  world; 
in  God's  name  let  us  preach  it:  how  can  we  pos- 
sibly help  preaching  it,  as  our  grandfathers  did, 
every  chance  we  get?  If  we  have  any  modified 
doctrine  of  hell  that  seems  reasonable;  let  us 
reason  it  out  for  all  we  are  worth,  before  men 
lose  their  interest  in  the  whole  subject  of  Chris- 
tianity. 


82        GOSPEL  FOR  BOTH  WORLDS 

Nominal  Christian  people  do  not  realize  whither 
thej  are  drifting.  The  practical  creed  we  live 
by,  as  distinguished  from  that  which  we  nominally 
profess,  is  fast  formulating  into  this:  that 
pleasant  things  are  pleasant.  "  Let  us  eat  and 
drink;  for  to-morrow  we  die."  At  our  best, 
there  is  pleasant  home  life,  pleasant  humaneness, 
pleasant  social  service  (covering  hideous  social 
injustice),  pleasant  play  at  missions,  pleasant  mu- 
sic at  funerals,  some  flowers  and  a  tombstone  — 
then  it's  all  over. 

There  was  a  time  when  the  name  of  hell  came 
from  the  gospel  preacher's  lips  strident  with 
warning,  quivering  with  real  emotion,  majestic 
with  forceful  argument.  To-day,  It  simply  Isn't 
heard  at  all.  No,  sir!  hardly  with  ninety-nine 
preachers  out  of  a  hundred,  or  hardly  from  one 
year's  end  to  another.  The  name  is  hardly  found 
in  polite  literature  of  the  period :  it  is  considered 
out  of  place  in  conversation.  It  is  low  and  coarse 
in  its  present  day  association.  It  Is  used,  for  the 
most  part,  in  ribald  joke  or  lurid  profanity. 
Fools  make  a  jest  of  hell.  Blasphemers  make  it 
the  bagatelle  of  their  unlntermittent  oaths.  So 
they  do  with  the  sacred  name  of  God  himself. 
But  the  name  of  hell  Is  used  only  in  this  light  or 
wicked  way.  Shall  we  let  the  old  word  go? 
Has  it  become  too  far  debased?  Has  it  been 
profaned  and  ridiculed  past  our  earnest  use.? 
What  other  word  have  we  for  the  thing.?  While 
men   are   jesting   over   it,   hell   Itself   is   yawning 


THE  SACREDNESS  OF  HELL        83 

beneath  their  feet.  No,  we  must  stand  for  the 
sacredness  of  hell,  as  we  do  for  the  sacredness  of 
God.  Make  hell  real  to  men,  and  they  will  stop 
joking  soullessly  about  it.  Show  them  the  real 
hell,  and  oaths  will  die  upon  their  lips.  We  are 
here  this  morning  to  stand  for  this  thesis,  that 
hell  is  the  most  sacred  place  in  all  God's  universe ; 
first,  by  reason  of  its  tremendous  reality;  sec- 
ond, by  reason  of  the  use  God  is  making  of  it. 

Hell  is  real.  Look  around  you,  if  you  doubt 
it.  Look  within.  Sin  is  hell.  Hate  is  hell. 
Envy  is  hell.  Falsity  is  hell.  Meanness  is  hell. 
Lust  is  hell.  Selfish  discontent  is  hell.  Over- 
reaching your  neighbor  is  hell.  Cold-blooded  in- 
difference is  hell.  Cruelty  is  hell  —  cruel  stabs, 
cruel  words,  cruel  silence,  cruel  pride,  cruel  supe- 
riority, cruel  bargains,  cruel  tyranny,  cruel  mis- 
judgment,  cruel  suspicion.  A  bully  is  a  bloated 
slice  of  hell. 

Drink  is  hell.  Gambling,  even  to  its  most  re- 
fined disguise,  is  hell.  Domestic  unfaithfulness 
is  hell.  Living  any  sort  of  a  lie  is  hell.  Hypoc- 
risy is  hell.  Doubt  is  hell.  Bigotry  is  hell. 
Superstition  is  hell. 

Virtue  is  its  own  reward:  vice  is  its  own  pen- 
alty; but  God  knows  how  to  intensify  both. 
Sins  of  the  flesh  bring  infirmities  to  the  body, 
premonitory  of  the  pains  of  hell.  Sins  of  the 
mind  warp  and  darken  and  embitter.  So  we 
stumble  into  deeper  sin.  Sin's  worst  penalty  is 
the    plague-culture    with    which    it    infects    the 


84        GOSPEL  FOR  BOTH  WORLDS 

soul.  It  may  be  only  a  little  whiter  spot  in  the 
palm  of  a  lily  white  hand  that  first  shows  the 
leprosy  which  will  rot  every  fibre  by  and  by. 

The  soul  that  sinneth,  it  shall  die.  Oh!  there 
are  so  many  ways  they  take  to  die!  The  man 
with  tuberculosis  may  have  it  in  his  lungs,  his 
nasal  tubes,  or  in  the  joints  of  his  bones.  Wher- 
ever it  lurks,  it  is  death  within.  Wherever  sin 
lurks,  there  is  death  in  the  soul. 

Follow  the  unregenerated  sinner  into  eternity. 
Grant  us  immortality  —  that  is  all.  His  hell  is 
simply  to  go  on  being  as  he  has  been,  only  worse 
and  worse.  The  cannon  ball  follows  the  aim  of  the 
gun.  The  sin-germ  breeds  its  swarm  in  the  soul. 
Always,  everywhere,  sin  is  soul-death.  A  young 
Southerner  was  bantering  his  old  nurse  about  her 
beliefs.  "  Tell  me,  Auntie,"  he  said,  "  where 
does  the  Lord  get  all  the  brimstone  it  will  take 
for  His  lake  of  fire  and  brimstone.?  It  must 
take  a  lot  of  brimstone  for  all  the  people  in 
hell."  "  Law's,  honey !  "  was  the  ready  answer, 
"  yuh  don'  need  to  trouble  yo'self  to  ansuh  dat 
ah  question.  De  Lawd  don'  hab  no  trouble 
gittin'  de  brimstone.  Case  you  takes  yo  hrim- 
stone  wiv  yuh.*' 

To  doubt  and  deny  hell  would  be  a  pleasing 
way  to  be  rid  of  the  fact ;  if  it  would  avail.  Ev- 
ery pulse-beat  of  the  sinner's  conscience  assures 
him  that  he  is  under  condemnation ;  and  as  sure 
as  God  is  just  he  must  exist  until  he  has  suffered 
for  his  sin.     Hell  must  be  punitive,  as  well  as 


THE  SACREDNESS  OF  HELL        85 

reformatory.  Otherwise  God's  justice  would 
rank  below  human  justice.  Jesus  did  not  say, 
"  These  shall  go  away  into  aeonian  discipline," 
merely ;  but  he  said,  "  These  shall  go  away  into 
seonian  punishment."  God  will  render  to  every 
man  according  to  his  works.  Well  might  the 
drunken  admirer  of  Ingersoll  urge  him  on  to 
disprove  the  existence  of  hell  for  the  reason  that 
if  hell  did  exist  a  great  many  of  his  associates 
were  plainly  upon  their  way  thither.  Colonel 
Richardson  used  to  tell  a  story  which  sounds 
rather  as  though  it  had  been  made  or  adapted 
to  order;  yet  it  may  serve  to  point  to  truth. 
He  and  two  Universalist  friends  were  represented 
as  arguing  over  the  existence  of  a  hell  which 
his  friends  combatted  as  too  horrible  for  belief. 
They  were  in  a  boat  upon  the  Niagara  river,  and, 
absorbed  in  their  dispute,  did  not  realize  their 
danger  until  they  had  drifted  into  the  clutch  of 
the  rapids.  The  Universalists,  so  the  story  goes, 
began  to  cry  to  God  for  mercy,  while  the  re- 
doubtable Colonel  seized  the  oars,  and  by 
supreme  exertions  succeeded  in  bringing  the  boat 
safely  to  land.  When  he  upbraided  his  friends 
with  the  inconsistency  of  pleading  for  mercy, 
since  they  had  just  been  arguing  that  all  men 
dying  —  good,  bad,  and  indifferent  —  woke  up 
sanctified  in  heaven ;  they  were  silent  for  some 
moments,  until  one  confessed,  "  Universalism  is 
a  pleasant  theme  for  which  to  argue ;  but  it  won't 
do  to  go  over  Niagara  upon."     The  plunge  into 


S6       GOSPEL  FOR  BOTH  WORLDS 

eternity  is  not  safely  taken  upon  the  flattering 
assurance  that  God  will  in  any  way  relieve  the 
unrepentant  soul  from  the  necessity  of  reaping 
what  it  has  sown.  Broken  law  means  inevitable 
penalty,  which  either  the  sinner  or  his  appro- 
priated Sin-bearer  must  make  good.  It  means 
also  inevitable  chastening  and  discipline  in  time 
and  in  eternity,  even  for  the  penitent;  and  the 
great  Bearer  of  sin  and  sorrow  would  not  Him- 
self be  willing  to  deprive  anyone  of  its  blessed 
ministry.  Every  sin  demands  its  tear.  Any- 
thing; so  we  are  taught  to  let  sin  alone. 

Goethe  says,  "  Nature  understands  no  jesting." 
The  laws  of  God  are  not  in  any  way  designed 
for  trifling.  Hell  may  be  nearest  to  the  one 
who  scoff's  at  it.  "  Deacon,  how  far  is  it  to 
hell.P  "  demanded  a  half  tipsy  young  man,  mount- 
ing his  horse  at  an  inn  door.  The  deacon  reflected 
a  moment  and  answered,  "  It  is  not  far  ofi^.  You 
may  come  to  it  sooner  than  you  expect."  His 
questioner  spurred  his  horse  forward,  with  a 
laugh.  The  deacon  followed  on  his  way  to 
church;  until  at  a  turn  of  the  road  he  found  a 
circle  of  people  standing  around  the  rider's 
corpse. 

How  far  is  it  to  hell.?  It  is  as  far  as  the 
nearest  grog-shop.  It  is  as  far  as  to  some  gilded 
temple  of  whore-worship  which  calls  itself  a 
theatre.  It  is  as  far  as  to  the  counter  or  ex- 
change where  one  drives  an  unfair  bargain  with 
his  neighbor.     It  is  as  far  as  to  the  work  bench 


THE  SACREDNESS  OF  HELL        87 

where  an  employee  bends  to  his  unwilhng  toil  with 
bitter  envy  and  hatred  in  his  heart.  It  is  as 
far  as  to  the  home-circle  from  which  love  has 
flown.  It  is  as  far  as  to  the  pulpit  where  a 
preacher  of  the  gospel  stands  to  mumble  con- 
ventional half-beliefs,  or  shrinks  from  denouncing 
sin.  The  hell  around  and  within  makes  us  ter- 
ribly sure  of  the  hell  below. 

Hell  is  sacred  in  its  reality.  Can  we  make  a 
jest  about  death  in  the  chamber  of  death?  Hell 
may  have  its  humorous  associations,  as  every- 
thing real  and  human  must  have;  but  the  humor 
of  it  is  not  for  the  damned.  Sometimes  pity  is 
akin  to  laughter  as  well  as  to  love.  True  laugh- 
ter softens  the  heart  for  pity.  A  hopeless  hell 
would  be  a  world's  heartache  too  sad  for  any 
smile.  Angels  beholding  it  could  smile  no  more. 
But  a  hell  which  does  its  grim  work  with  a  tender 
purpose  and  an  overmastering  hope  may  some- 
times bring  out  a  smile  of  amusement  through 
heaven's  tears.  Hell  is  sacred  because  it  is  so 
real;  but  it  is  far  more  sacred  because  it  is  pur- 
poseful. Its  sorrow  is  the  aching  womb  of  re- 
demption's greatest  joy.  As  sure  as  God's  King- 
dom ruleth  over  all;  He  must  be  using  hell  for 
the  working  out  of  His  most  sacred  purpose.  A 
hospital  is  sacred;  because  gruesome  operations 
are  performed  there  by  which  men  and  women 
and  children  are  taken  apart  and  put  together  for 
new  possibilities  of  physical  existence.  A  peni- 
tentiary  is    sacred;   because   there   criminals    are 


88        GOSPEL  FOR  BOTH  WORLDS 

given  a  chance  to  think  on  their  ways  in  the 
silence,  and  to  begin  at  honest  industry.  Many 
processes  that  are  slow  and  painful  are  corre- 
spondingly beneficent.  A  convalescence  may  be 
too  rapid  for  enduring  results.  The  wound  of 
the  operation  may  need  to  be  reopened  again 
and  again.  Jesus  says,  "  These  shall  go  away 
into  seonian  punishment."  God's  gravest  work 
takes  seons.  What  matter;  if  eternity  lies  still 
beyond? 

Men  must  be  holden  in  cords  of  aiflictlon;  un- 
til God  can  show  them  their  work,  and  open  their 
ears  to  discipline.  If  it  is  true  of  earth;  how 
much  more  of  hell,  that  — 

"  This    strange,    sad   world   is    but    our    Father's 
school !  " 

It  is  obduracy  and  rebellion  that  make  hell 
ages  long.  When  we  see  even  Christian  men  and 
women,  who  have  every  spiritual  privilege  and 
blessing  lavished  upon  their  life,  still  in  their  mor- 
bid spells  nursing  a  feeling  of  dejection  and  sore- 
ness about  some  phase  of  their  lot  in  life,  toying 
with  the  insanity  of  gloom,  and  making  little 
perceptible  progress  toward  the  heart's  ease  that 
comes  with  submission ;  we  wonder  how  long  hell 
will  have  to  last  to  wear  out  the  rage  of  an 
utterly  rebellious  spirit  in  the  patient  embrace  of 
God's  everlasting  arms.  Mere  sorrow  cannot 
help  or  save :  wrongly  taken,  it  may  embitter  and 
warp:  but  sorrow  has  often  proved  God's  angel 


THE  SACREDNESS  OF  HELL        89 

visitant  sent  to  lead  us  humbly  back  to  Christ. 
In  the  parable  of  Dives  and  Lazarus,  we  see  that 
hell's  affliction  was  already  bringing  Dives  more 
earnest,  and  partly  unselfish  thoughts.  A  linger- 
ing illness  has  been  a  factor  in  many  a  one's  con- 
version: what  may  we  not  hope  from  the  reflec- 
tions of  hell?  The  "Tophet"  of  the  Old 
Testament  and  the  "  Gehenna  of  fire  "  (translated 
"hell  fire")  in  the  New  refer  primarily  to  a 
place  in  the  valley  of  Hinnom  where  refuse  was 
burned.  This  incinerating  process  in  hell  cannot 
destroy  the  immortal  tissue  of  the  soul  itself: 
it  can  bum  away  only  that  which  is  evanescent 
and  worthless.  The  very  word,  purity,  speaks 
of  the  agency  of  fire.  Thank  God  for  hell  fire, 
to  burn  dross  out  of  souls !     Even  hell  itself  — 

**  Hath  no  sorrow 
That  heaven  can  not  heal.** 

Many  a  man,  to-day  has  reason  to  thank  God 
for  a  term  in  jail.  Why  not  also  in  hell's  prison? 
What  other  possible  all-compensating  purpose 
could  God  have  in  keeping  His  hell?  A  South 
Sea  islander  asked  his  missionary,  "  Why  don't 
God  kill  Satan,  and  stop  the  evil?  "  A  pertinent 
question,  indeed!  And  one  to  which  the  best 
possible  answer  should  be  that  God  means  to 
make  Satan  himself  loathe  the  evil  by  and  by 
and  help  to  repair  it.  If  God  should  kill  Satan, 
or  merely  hold  him  in  check;  He  would  thus  be 
confessing  that  He  had  made  a  failure  of  Satan. 


90        GOSPEL  FOR  BOTH  WORLDS 

If  any  created  soul  should  utterly  perish  at  last ; 
God's  universe  would  thus  prove  itself  a  failure 
in  that  one  detail.  All  the  world  would  turn  its 
back  upon  the  pitiful  black  hole  where  that  life 
became  extinct,  with  a  shuddering  loss  of  faith 
in  God.  But  once  concede  the  possibility  of 
salvation  in  hell,  and  its  state  becomes  the  most 
interesting  in  all  the  universe.  All  eyes  are  fo- 
cussed  where  the  most  thrilling  rescue  is  being 
made.  One  word  in  Burns'  immortal  poem  then 
becomes  capable  of  an  eager  change : 

**  But  fare  you  well,  auld  Nickie-ben ; 
O  wad  ye  tak  a  thought  an'  men'; 
Ye  aiblins  might  —  I  dinna  ken  — 
Still  hae  a  stake. 

I'm  thrilled  to  think  upo*  yon  den, 
E'en  for  your  sake." 

That  which  makes  even  hell  most  sacred  m  our 
thoughts  is  the  conviction  for  which  we  are  find- 
ing ground  in  these  studies  of  God's  word,  that 
the  gospel  of  salvation  is  to  be  preached  there. 
Hell's  discipline  may  be  depended  upon  to  pre- 
pare mellowed  ground;  but  only  the  vital  seed 
of  redemption's  power  can  stir  new  life  in  any 
soul  there.  Think  of  hell  as  a  mission  field,  as 
a  revival  field!  Introduce  the  element  of  the 
preaching  of  the  gospel  into  its  dark,  dark  prob- 
lems! I  wonder  that  those  who  hitherto  have 
mused  upon  the  *  larger  hope '  seem  to  have 
never  turned   their  thoughts   upon  this   line   of 


THE  SACREDNESS  OF  HELL        91 

evangelism  in  hell.  What  else  can  there  be  to 
present  even  a  ray  of  hope?  Where  else  can 
there  be  found  a  branch  of  healing  for  hell's 
bitter  waters?  The  emperor  Tiberius  Csesar  was 
applied  to  by  a  prisoner  to  hasten  the  conclusion 
of  his  sentence  of  punishment;  but  he  answered, 
"  Stay,  sir :  you  and  I  are  not  friends  yet."  A 
million  aeons  of  teeth-gnashing  in  hell  will  not 
make  any  soul  at  one  with  God.  There  is  only 
one  way  for  that:  "Being  justified  by  faith, 
we  have  peace  with  God  through  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ."  But  "  faith  cometh  by  hearing,  and 
hearing  by  the  word  of  God."  Nothing  else  but 
this  precious  gospel  will  save  on  earth,  through- 
out the  universe,  in  hell.  Oh,  glorious  gospel! 
bringing  the  offer  of  pardon  to  the  guilty  and 
self-condemned,  bringing  hope  into  the  regions 
of  despair,  bringing  the  living  Christ  in  its 
message  of  Him,  He  Himself,  honoring  His  word 
in  mighty  power  to  save!  Ionian  punishment 
must  yield  to  seonian  redemption ;  else  Christ  were 
only  the  fraction  of  a  saviour,  and  God's  plan 
for  His  world  only  the  fragment  of  a  success. 
"  These  shall  go  away  into  seonian  punishment  " ; 
go  where  Christ  can  deal  with  them  for  their  rec- 
lamation, where  they  will  grow  hungry  for  the 
gospel  message  they  slighted  on  earth,  where 
Christ  may  reach  them  as  there  was  not  space 
to  reach  them  all  here,  where  the  scales  of  preju- 
dice will  fall  from  their  eyes,  where  their  poor, 
self-stopped  ears  will  be  opened  to  the  truth,  where 


92        GOSPEL  FOR  BOTH  WORLDS 

the  sweet  uses  of  hell's  adversity  may  prepare 
the  way  for  the  mellowed  joy  of  penitence  and 
pardon.  There  in  the  passing  of  the  aeons  curses 
Avill  soften  into  sighs,  and  sighs  into  tears,  and 
tears  into  prayer,  as  the  knowledge  of  God's 
truth  comes  in;  and  prayer,  even  in  hell,  will 
bring  the  keenest  joy  of  heaven. 

Friends  think  on  hell.  For  two  generations 
we  have  been  conscientiously,  timidly,  weakly 
turning  our  thoughts  away  from  the  most  sacred 
field  of  inquiry  in  God's  universe.  But  with 
this  mighty  hope  of  redemption  to  come  changing 
the  light  of  all  our  sky,  the  thought  of  hell,  with 
all  its  terrors  undenied,  grows  tender  and  sacred. 
When  your  gaze  shrinks  from  its  dread  realities, 
look  into  the  face  of  your  Saviour  who  died  for 
all.  He  is  able  to  save  unto  the  uttermost  of 
a2onian  hell.  Have  you  put  your  whole  trust  in 
Him  for  time  and  for  eternity.?  Hell  yawns  be- 
neath you,  unless  you  are  safe  in  the  arms  of 
Jesus.  After  a  Sunday  evening  meeting,  a  pas- 
tor of  a  former  generation  spoke  to  a  moral  and 
highly  cultivated  young  woman,  quoting  "  '  Ex- 
cept a  man  be  bom  again,  he  cannot  enter  the 
kingdom  of  heaven.'  And  if  not  heaven,"  he 
said,  "  what  then.?  There  is  but  one  other  place, 
and  that  is  hell."  The  young  lady  was  trusting 
in  her  morality,  and  went  away  offended.  That 
night  she  dreamed  that  the  day  of  judgment  had 
come,  and  saw  the  Saviour- judge  seated  upon  the 
clouds.     The   words,   "  If   not   born    again,   not 


THE  SACREDNESS  OF  HELL        93 

heaven;  and  if  not  heaven,  hell,"  rang  in  her 
ears.  She  awoke  in  great  terror,  and  began  to 
call  on  God  for  mercy. 

Friends,  we  are  talking  together  heart  to  heart 
this  morning,  not  as  the  passing  tenants  of  earth, 
but  as  the  inhabitants  of  eternity.  JEons  and 
ages  flow  around  us.  Vast  currents  suck  and 
draw.  Heaven  and  hell  pull  at  every  heart-beat. 
Only  in  the  heart  of  Christ  are  we  secure.  Oh, 
cling  to  Him,  cling  to  Him  now !  With  the  arm 
of  His  love  and  power  about  us,  we  can  look  out 
into  the  aeonian  future.  We  can  see  life,  life, 
life  before  us  there.  Best  of  all,  we  can  see  a 
mission.  "  There's  a  work  for  me  and  a  work 
for  you."  Let  us  live  for  that!  Let  us  get  in 
training  for  it:  let  us  grow  skilled  in  the  prac- 
tice of  it:  let  us  glory  in  the  fulness  of  it:  let 
us  begin  at  it  to-day.  Eternity!  eternity!  not 
a  blank  background  of  misty  nothingness,  light 
above,  dark  below ;  but  oh !  a  world  of  interest, 
teeming  with  variety,  thrilling  in  its  humanness, 
glorious  in  its  pulsing  of  deathless  hope! 

*•  Eternity !  Eternity ! 
That  boundless,  soundless,  tideless  sea. 
Of  mysteries  the  mystery. 
What  is  eternity  to  me? 

Infinite  bliss  or  misery. 

Woe  past,  woe  present,  woe  to  be; 

The  fulness  of  felicity; 

These  are  eternity  to  me. 


94        GOSPEL  FOR  BOTH  WORLDS 

Two  voices  from  eternity! 
A  voice  from  heaven  comes  down  to  me, 
A  voice  from  hell  breaks  dolefully. 
Life,  death,  O  man !  are  offered  thee. 

The  abyss  is  moved ;  even  wrath  cries,  *  Flee,* 
The  height  expands,  and  love  cries,  '  See 
What  God  hath  here  prepared  for  thee; 
Choose  thou  thine  own  eternity ! '  '* 

Choose  you  this  day  whom  ye  will  serve.  Our 
service  is  for  the  geons.  There  is  no  discharge 
in  that  war,  only  ^eonian  victory.  ^Eonlan  life 
means  aeonian  struggle  for  God.  Age-lasting, 
all-satisfying!  Oh,  give  yourself  to  Christ  and 
to  His  service  now!  Choose  what  shall  be  His 
word  to  you  as  you  enter  eternity,  as  you  stand 
before  Him  in  the  judgment.  Shall  it  be, 
"  Come  ye  blessed,"  or  shall  it  be,  "  Depart  ye 
cursed "  ?  Shall  it  be  inheriting  the  kingdom 
which  must  conquer  all;  or  shall  it  be  sharing  the 
age-lasting,  aeonian  fire  prepared  for  the  devil 
and  his  angels  .f*  This  is  a  sacred  moment  for 
us;  sacred  for  its  outlook  upon  heaven  and  hell, 
sacred  for  its  opportunity  to  choose  for  eternity, 
sacred  for  its  vow  and  prayer  which  each  heart 
can  hear  the  other  whisper  to  the  listening  heart 
of  Christ  that  we  may  be  His  forever  more. 


VIII 
FIRST-FRUITS  OF  THE  HARVEST 

"  Ever7  good  gift  and  every  perfect  gift  is  from  abore, 
and  Cometh  down  from  the  Father  of  lights,  with  whom 
is  no  variableness,  neither  shadow  of  turning.  Of  his  own 
will  begat  he  us  with  the  word  of  truth,  that  we  should 
be  a  kind  of  first  fruits  of  his  creatures." — James  i,  18, 

It  is  thrilling  to  remember  how  small  a  circle 
James  was  addressing  when  he  wrote  this  keen 
letter  to  Christian  believers  among  the  Jews  of 
the  Dispersion,  making  this  sweeping  claim  for 
them  that,  few  as  they  were,  they  constituted  the 
first-fruits  of  an  infinite  harvest  —  even  of  God's 
whole  intelligent  creation.  The  first-fruits  rep- 
resent the  harvest:  they  also  give  the  promise  of 
the  harvest.  Here  were  a  few  thousand  believers 
in  Christ  widely  scattered  through  the  roaring  hea- 
then world  which  was  indifferent,  hostile,  darkly 
prejudiced,  intolerant,  almost  utterly  irrational, 
and  seemingly  beyond  all  persuasion.  The  odds 
were  a  thousand  to  one  that  the  new  faith  would 
be  choked,  annihilated,  trodden  under  foot  in  its 
birth.  Yet  the  apostle  looking  abroad  upon  this 
thin  dotting  of  Jewish  believers  upon  the  vast 
map  of  humanity,  dares  to  call  them  a  kind  of 
first-fruits  of  God's  creatures.  That  was  because 
he  believed  with  the  vision  of  inspiration  in  the 
unswerving  purpose  of  God,  in  whom  there  is  no 
variableness,  neither  shadow  of  turning.  He  who, 
95 


96        GOSPEL  FOR  BOTH  WORLDS 

of  His  own  infinite  will  had  begotten  the  first- 
fruits  could  and  would  also  beget  all  the  others 
to  form  his  complete  soul-flock,  soul-harvest. 
The  miracle  of  one  soul  born  again  leaves  the 
new  birth  of  all  the  others  an  easy  matter  of 
detail. 

The  -firstling  represents  the  flock,  the  first- 
fruits  represent  the  harvest.  It  was  because  Je- 
hovah's rightful  claim  extended  to  all  a  man's 
increase,  that  he  was  to  make  his  acknowledg- 
ment of  this  rightful  claim  by  honoring  God 
with  the  first-fruits  of  all  his  increase.  Paul 
says,  "  If  the  first-fruits  are  holy ;  the  lump  also 
is  holy."  The  first  sheaf  of  the  harvest,  the  first 
spring  lamb  of  the  flock,  also  the  first-bom  of 
his  household  were  sacred  to  Jehovah ;  simply 
because  these  stood  for  all  the  others.  So  God's 
first-bom  Son  stood  for  us  all  in  the  infinite 
sacrifice  of  Calvary.  And  so  these  early  Jewish 
Christians  to  whom  James  wrote,  the  first  converts 
to  Christ  both  at  Jerusalem  and  in  each  city  of 
the  outer  world  —  because  the  gospel  in  each  was 
first  proclaimed  in  the  synagogue  —  these  as  a 
sort  of  first-fruits  of  God's  great  coming  family 
of  believers  in  Jesus,  represented  and  stood  for 
all  the  others.  They  were  doubly  sacred  and 
precious  because  they  were  so  few.  The  experts 
of  our  agricultural  department  in  their  develop- 
ment of  a  new  variety  of  wheat  of  larger  grains 
and  heavier  heads,  or  one  capable  of  ripening 
during  a  short  northern  summer,  will  first  pro- 


FIRST-FRUITS  OF  THE  HARVEST        97 

duce  a  few  grains,  or  a  cup  full.  Every  gr'aln 
of  this  seed  is  worth  many  times  its  weight  in 
gold.  Years  of  thought  and  care  and  outlay  have 
gone  into  producing  it.  The  waving  harvests 
of  the  future  are  bound  up  in  it.  So  with  the 
prize  tulip,  the  latest  perfection  of  carnation. 
Thousands  of  dollars  are  required  to  buy  them: 
they  are  first-fruits,  and  they  are  precious. 

The  first-fruits  also  give  the  promise  of  the 
harvest.  The  same  sunshine  which  has  ripened  the 
earliest  yellowing  ear  will  ripen  the  million  others. 
The  weak  birth-cry  of  the  first  little  lamb  of 
spring  tells  of  the  bleatings  of  the  doubled  flock 
a  few  weeks  later.  It  sounds  the  clarion  of 
fecundity.  So  Eve's  first  baby  came  as  the  first 
tiny  drop  of  that  infinite  stream  of  human  lives 
which  has  flowed  through  this  world  of  ours. 
When  the  Israelites  came  into  their  promised  land, 
when  they  had  conquered  it  and  laid  aside  their 
weapons  and  plowed  and  sowed,  and  were  about 
to  reap  their  first  harvest,  they  were  to  bring 
each  the  first-fruits  of  his  first  crop,  the  first 
cluster  of  his  first  vintage,  as  especially  holy  to 
Jehovah.  This  was  all  carefully  enjoined  upon 
them  through  Moses  away  back  in  the  wilderness. 
The  reason  was  that  their  first  harvest  and  vin- 
tage and  fruit-gathering  in  Canaan  was  to  be 
Jehovah's  sure  promise  to  them  of  fruitful  years 
and  centuries  to  come. 

And  now  when  James  dares  to  call  these  souls 
early  won  to  Christ  a  sort  of  first-fruits  of  God's 


98        GOSPEL  FOR  BOTH  WORLDS 

creatures,  how  else  can  we  interpret  the  plain 
meaning  of  his  figure  of  speech  but  that  these 
first  newborn  souls  not  only  represented;  but  also 
gave  the  promise  of  the  complete  and  universal 
ingathering  of  all  God's  created  souls?  What 
else  can  his  words  mean?  If  all  are  not  to  be 
gathered  in;  how  could  these  be  called,  without 
limitation,  the  first-fruits  of  God's  creatures?  He 
would  have  called  them  simply  the  first-fruits  of 
God's  increase,  the  first-fruits  of  those  whom  God 
had  predestinated  to  be  gathered  in,  the  first- 
fruits  of  God's  limited  harvest.  But  he  sweeps 
away  all  these  narrower  forecasts,  and  calls  them 
simply  a  first-fruits  of  God's  created  beings.  If 
he  meant  anything  less  than  universal  ultimiate 
salvation ;  then  his  language,  to  say  the  least  of 
it,  is  misleading. 

When  Paul  calls  the  risen  Christ  the  first-fruits 
of  them  that  slept,  he  meant  it  as  inclusive  for 
all.  He  mentions  especially  in  the  context  those 
that  are  Christ's  who  will  live  with  their  risen 
Lord ;  but  also  teaches  that  all  are  to  live  again 
and  receive  according  to  the  deeds  done  in  the 
body.  "  As  in  Adam  all  die ;  so  in  Christ  shall  all 
be  made  alive."  Undoubtedly  this  applies  to  death 
of  body  and  soul.  It  promises  both  immortality 
and  reclamation  for  all.  In  Adam  all  became  mor- 
tal and  sinful.  Sin  came,  and  death  by  sin,  and 
reigned  over  all.  God  had  on  His  hands  a  world 
full  of  dying,  perishing  souls ;  for  tlie  soul  that 
sinneth,  it  must  die.     The  offence  came  by  ohe, 


FIRST-FRUITS  OF  THE  HARVEST       99 

the  free  gift  of  eternal  life  by  One.  Christ  is 
not  only  the  first-fruits  of  resurrection,  but  the 
fountain  head  of  salvation,  and  as  by  the  offence 
of  all  many  were  made  sinners  ;  so  by  the  obedience 
of  One  (even  unto  death)  many- — the  same  and 
equal  many  —  shall  be  made  righteous.  When 
Christ  triumphed  over  the  grave,  He  led  captivity 
captive,  and  brought  the  precious  twin  gifts  of 
immortality  and  salvation  to  men.  They  are  for 
all ;  because  all  will  yet  accept  them.  He  died  in 
the  place  of  all;  that  they  which  live  (through 
Him)  should  not  henceforth  live  unto  themselves, 
but  unto  Him  who  in  their  place  died  and  rose 
again.  It  was  His  irresistible  intention  that  all 
should  do  so.  They  are  His  rightful  guerdon: 
nothing  less  will  satisfy  and  repay  Him;  He  has 
poured  out  His  soul  unto  death,  and  must  see 
His  seed  from  first-born  to  the  last  dying  soul 
reborn:  He  must  reap  His  whole  harvest  from 
first-fruits  to  cap-sheaf  of  all. 

Men  who  deal  in  '  futures  '  buy  crops  while 
they  are  still  growing.  When  Christ  poured  out 
His  precious  blood  on  Calvary,  He  bought  the 
whole  harvest  of  the  universe  of  souls,  and  He 
will  claim  His  own.  Using  the  other  figure  of 
the  flock  He  declares,  "  Other  sheep  I  have,  which 
are  not  of  this  fold:  them  also,  I  must  bring, 
and  they  shall  hear  my  voice  and  there  shall  be 
one  fold  and  one  shepherd."  Satan's  robber  fold 
must  be  emptied;  that  the  Good  Shepherd's  fold 
may  be  the  only  one  at  last. 


lOQ     GOSPEL  FOR  BOTH  WORLDS 

Harvest  days  are  often  the  longest  days  of  the 
year.  God's  harvest  day  of  souls  is  age-lasting. 
Aye,  give  Him  time!  What  a  harvest  has  been 
gathered  since  James  recognized  the  first-fruits ! 
What  has  been  gathered  for  God  from  the  fields 
of  time  only  proves  the  harvest  sure  from  the 
fields  of  eternity.  Suppose  the  gospel  had  been 
carried  to  China  in  its  purity  and  power  one  thou- 
sand years  ago.  Humanly  speaking,  any  one  of 
our  mission  boards  could  figure  out  the  proba- 
bilities of  millions  upon  millions  who  would  have 
thus  been  won  for  Christ  in  this  world,  and  who 
should  by  every  deduction  and  induction  of  sane 
reasoning  be  just  as  amenable,  or  even  more 
amenable  to  influence  toward  Christ  in  the 
spirit  world  to  which  they  have  flitted  with- 
out the  precious  knowledge  of  their  Saviour. 
God  pity  us  for  letting  them  die  in  their  ig- 
norance and  sin:  God  nerve  us  for  the  inev- 
itable reparation  of  tenfold  more  eager  seek- 
ing for  their  lost  souls  in  hell !  The  harvest  lost 
here  must  be  reaped  hereafter.  God  will  not  be 
balked  of  His  harvest.  The  fact  that  this  har- 
vesting work  for  God  could  have  been  done  so 
easily,  should  have  been  done,  wasn't  done,  only 
proves  that  it  will  be  done  —  easy  or  hard  — 
hereafter.  Every  century  lost  only  makes  the 
harvest  haste  more  pressing. 

But  you  say  Jesus  speaks  of  a  harvest  at  the 
end  of  the  world  (better,  at  the  end  of  the  aeon) 
in  which  souls  that  are  tares  shall  be  bound' in 


FIRST-FRUITS  OF  THE  HARVEST      101 

bundles  to  be  burned.  So  they  will  be  destroyed 
with  unquenchable  fire,  and  that  will  be  the  end  of 
them.  If  it  is  the  end  of  them ;  then  a  good  many 
exceeding  great  and  precious  promises  of  God's 
Word  that  cannot  lie  will  have  come  to  noth- 
ing. After  judgment  comes  salvation.  It  is  so 
in  this  world.  He  that  believeth  not  is  condemned 
already.  When  he  comes  to  believe  on  the  name 
of  the  only-begotten  Son  of  God,  he  is  saved :  the 
condemnation  is  all  taken  away.  That  is  so  here, 
and  hereafter.  Always,  everywhere,  whosoever 
will  may  come.  There  are  three  harvests :  the 
harvest  of  death,  the  harvest  of  judgment,  the 
harvest  of  salvation.  James  clearly  suggests  that 
this  last  harvest  will  be  complete.  And  we  read  in 
Revelation  how  after  the  Lamb  stood  on  the 
Mount  Sion,  and  with  Him  the  hundred  and  forty 
and  four  thousand  sealed  ones,  twelve  thousand 
from  each  of  the  symbolic  twelve  tribes  of  Israel, 
and  besides  these  came  the  voice  of  multitudes,  as 
the  voice  of  many  waters,  and  as  the  voice  of  a 
great  thunder,  the  voice  of  harpers  harping  with 
their  harps ;  after  these  redeemed  ones  from 
among  men  are  recognized  in  the  vision  as  the 
first-fruits  unto  God  and  to  the  Lamb ;  then,  after 
all  this,  John  saw  another  angel  fly  in  the  midst 
of  heaven  having  the  everlasting  gospel  to  pro- 
claim to  all.  When  heaven's  harvest  of  salvation 
has  all  been  gathered  in  from  earth,  these  will 
still  be  only  the  first-fruits  of  universal,  aeonian 
salvation.     Oh,  the  prophetic  joy  of  the  full  har- 


102      GOSPEL  FOR  BOTH  WORLDS 

vest  when  the  first-fruits  are  gathered  in !  In  the 
orient  to  this  day  when  travelers  are  passing 
along  some  highway  past  a  field  of  grain  ^^ellow- 
ing  to  the  sickle,  they  may  see  a  husbandman  look- 
ing over  his  field,  see  him  pick  a  head  of  wheat 
or  two  somewhat  riper  than  the  rest  and  behold 
him  running  to  meet  them  with  every  demonstra- 
tion of  joy,  leaping  and  gesticulating  until  he 
comes,  to  show  them  his  first-fruits  as  a  trophy 
of  the  reward  of  patient  labor  yet  to  be  harvested. 
So  Judson  after  six  years  of  incredible  patience 
of  toil  and  suffering  in  Burmah  rejoiced  over 
his  first  soul  won  to  Christ,  the  first-fruits  of  what 
now  counts  up  into  the  milHons  of  glorious  soul 
harvest. 

Aye,  give  God  time:  the  reaping  is  too  great 
for  the  little  average  lifetime  of  ephemeral  mor- 
tals here  on  earth.  It  is  too  great  for  the  little 
fleeting  years  and  centuries  of  hurried  history  on 
this  planet.  Its  fields  are  wider  than  earth.  Its 
harvest  day  is  more  lasting  than  time.  Its  la- 
borers are  few  here ;  but  they  are  many  yonder. 

God's  harvest  truly  is  plenteous.  With  what 
different  feelings  now  will  we  bend  to  it  as  la- 
borers in  his  harvest!  If  you  came  in  here  this 
morning  an  enthusiastic  worker  for  God,  I  expect 
you  to  go  out  tenfold  more  eager,  and  confident, 
and  enthusiastic.  It  is  such  a  long  harvest,  such 
a  vast  harvest,  such  a  sure  harvest !  How  else 
could  you  have  any  heart  or  hope  in  it;  if  you 
didn't  believe  that?     There  was  a  time  when  I 


FIRST-FRUITS  OF  THE  HARVEST      103 

tried  to  approach  men  for  God ;  but  I  did  it  fur- 
tively and  with  a  faiHng  heart.  I  looked  into 
each  man's  eyes  to  see  if  I  could  see  there  a  gleam 
of  inward  light,  a  capability  of  laying  hold  on 
God  and  heaven;  yet  dreading  to  find  there  a 
soul's  face  set  toward  hell.  I  wondered  of  each 
which  would  prove  true  wheat  in  God's  great 
granary,  and  which  would  be  only  chaff  for  the 
winds  of  perdition  to  drive  away,  away.  I  did 
try  to  save  men,  and  rejoiced  in  one  and  another 
drawn  from  the  stream  which  was  so  obviously 
setting  away  from  God.  But  the  opportunity 
for  rescue  work  seemed  so  brief,  the  stream  of 
drifting  lives  so  wide,  so  swift,  so  resistless  in  its 
flow!  Men  were  so  much  more  prone  to  believe 
a  lie  than  to  believe  the  truth.  They  were  so 
resentful  of  good  influence,  so  flexible  to  evil 
influence,  here  to-day,  gone  to-morrow,  frail,  fleet- 
ing; yet  determined  never  to  admit  their  own 
mortality,  to  think  on  their  end,  to  turn  and  not 
die.  I  stood  in  God's  harvest  field  nerveless  at 
the  hopeless  hugeness  of  its  task,  grieved  to  the 
heart  over  its  millionfold  waste  of  lives,  nervous 
over  lost  opportunities  of  soul-winning,  and  para- 
lyzed in  the  dread  of  making  blunders  worse  than 
negligence  in  their  effect  upon  the  eternal  fate  of 
souls.  But  to-day  I  look  upon  each  man  or 
woman  as  a  part  of  God's  great  sheaf  and  God's 
sure  harvest.  Somewhere,  somehow  each  will  be 
bound  in  the  bundle  of  life  at  last.  If  I  try  and 
fail  of  saving  him,  some  one  else,  under  God,  will 


104      GOSPEL  FOR  BOTH  WORLDS 

surely  try  and  succeed.  I  have  no  responsibility 
but  to  keep  cheerily  on  trying  by  all  means  to 
save  some.  By  God's  help,  I  am  in  this  line  for 
some  ages  to  come;  and  I  cannot  afford  to  be 
despondent  or  hysterical  about  it.  I  cannot  do 
my  best  at  it,  except  with  a  bounding  heart. 
Thank  God!  my  heart  has  reason  to  bound  and 
to  exult.  If  I  could  find  any  reason  to  believe 
that  the  comparatively  meager  results  to  be 
achieved  in  this  life  were  all  the  harvest;  I  would 
grow  sick  with  the  discouragement.  The  scythe 
of  death  works  faster  than  our  evangelistic  sickle. 
But  oh !  the  true  harvest  is  not  death's  but  God's. 
Sometimes  in  the  pressure  of  harvesting  haste 
part  of  the  work  is  done  by  moonlight.  The  hus- 
bandmen begin  at  midnight,  or  work  until  mid- 
night, by  the  light  of  the  harvest  moon.  Friends  ! 
God's  moonlight  soul-harvesting  is  done  here  on 
earth.  We  grope  somewhat,  and  gather  the 
precious  sheaves  as  best  we  may.  But  death  will 
bring  the  sunrise  of  God's  aeonian  harvest  day. 
Then  we  will  see  as  we  are  seen,  and  know  as  we 
are  known,  and  meet  heart  to  heart  the  loved 
ones  we  have  failed  to  win  to  Jesus  here.  No 
restrictions  of  the  flesh  will  hamper  us:  it  will 
be  harvest  time ;  tireless,  sleepless,  eager,  glorious, 
till  the  last  sheaf  is  gathered  in. 

"  He  that  goeth  forth  and  weepeth,  bearing 
precious  seed,  shall  doubtless  come  again  with  re- 
joicing, bringing  his  sheaves  with  him."  Get 
your  sheaves  for  God,  brother,  sister,  where  and 


FIRST-FRUITS  OF  THE  HARVEST      105 

when  you  may.  It  is  God's  greatest  work  for  us 
in  any  world.  Up  from  the  harvest  fields  of 
earth,  up  from  the  harvest  fields  of  hell, — 

"  We  will  come  re j  oicing. 
Bringing  in  the  sheaves.** 

Let  us  fill  our  arms  with  sheaves  here,  gleaning 
the  handfuls  where  we  may.  We  would  come  up 
at  last  to  the  threshold  of  heaven's  safe  granary, 
not  empty  handed,  having  no  sheaves  to  lay  at 
Jesus'  nail-pierced  feet ;  but  with  full  hearts,  full 
arms,  tired,  but  oh!  so  happy,  bringing  our 
sheaves  with  us.  However,  let  us  not  imagine 
that  this  much  will  content  us  for  eternity. 
These  will  be  only  the  first-fruits:  the  harvest, 
in  its  completeness,  will  be  still  before  us.  Re-- 
newed  in  strength  and  energy,  invigorated  with 
immortality,  we  will  bend  to  the  ripening  grain 
of  God's  infinite  world-field.  Filling  heaven  will 
be  our  dearest  heaven.  Without  haste,  without 
rest;  out  into  the  highways,  out  into  the  byways 
—  out  upon  perdition's  hottest  harvest  field ;  then 
back  again  with  precious  sheaves  to  shout  the 
glory  of  heaven's  eternal  harvest  home.  Oh,  the 
song  of  the  reaper!  oh,  the  joy  of  the  saved 
ones!  No  soul  to  blast  and  rot  forever!  but 
sheaves,  precious  sheaves,  each  soul  worth  a  uni- 
verse, won  with  toil,  won  with  difficulty,  won  by 
battling  for  them,  but  won  by  faith  in  the  mighty 
will  of  God,  who  begat  us  and  will  of  His  own 
resistless  will  beget  each  dead  soul  into  new  life; 


106      GOSPEL  FOR  BOTH  WORLDS 

until  the  first  fruits  of  His  creatures  prove  their 
promise  of  the  universal  harvest. 

Is  there  one  soul  here  which  has  not  yet  yielded 
itself  into  the  arms  of  Jesus?  Yield  yourself  to 
Him  to-day,  as  you  face  eternity.  He  will  not 
give  you  up ;  we  will  not  give  you  up ;  sooner  or 
later  you  will  choose  Christ  and  heaven.  Every 
day's  delay  makes  your  case  more  difficult  (not 
Impossible)  for  Him,  more  difficult  for  His  work- 
ers, more  tedious  for  yourself.  God  help  you, 
dear  one,  give  yourself  to  Jesus  now;  be  part  of 
the  first-fruits ;  get  to  work  to  bring  others ;  have 
your  rightful  share  In  the  glory  of  the  harvest. 


IX 

THE  GREAT  COMMISSION 

"  And  he  said  unto  them,  Go  ye  into  all  the  world,  and 
preach  the  gospel  to  every  creature:  and  lo!  I  am  with 
you  alway,  even  unto  the  end  of  the  world." — Mark  xvi, 
15;  Matt,  xxviii,  20. 

This  composite  text,  familiarly  quoted,  has 
been  very  often  called  the  Great  Commission. 
There  is  nothing  in  the  least  degree  original  in 
my  thus  announcing  the  subject  of  my  text;  only 
I  wonder  how  many  of  the  hundreds  of  thousands 
who  have  preached  upon  it  may  have  realized  how 
great  the  commission  is,  or  how  lasting  its  prom- 
ise. In  giving  this  commission  and  promise  our 
Lord  uses  the  very  biggest  words  He  could  find 
in  human  language.  He  does  not  use  the  word, 
olKovfievri,  '  inhabited  earth ' ;  but  He  says  "  Go 
ye  into  all  the  KosmoSy  and  preach  the  gospel  to 
every  created  being."  It  is  true  that  in  His 
whole  utterance  at  this  time  He  tells  the  disciples 
to  go  and  teach  all  nations,  baptizing  them  in  the 
triune,  equal  Names.  The  commission  to  mortal 
men  was  primarily  to  evangelize  this  earth.  I 
would  be  the  last  to  deny  that.  He  also  said, 
"  He  that  belleveth  and  is  baptized  shall  be 
saved ;  but  he  that  believeth  not  shall  be  damned." 
Christ  does  not  say  for  how  long  the  unbeliever 
shall  be  "  damned  "  or  condemned.  He  doesn't 
say  it  here,  and  He  doesn't  say  it  anywhere  else. 
107 


108      GOSPEL  FOR  BOTH  WORLDS 

And  the  promise  attached  to  the  commission 
reads  clearly  in  the  Greek,  "  Lo,  I  am  with  you 
alway,  even  unto  the  consummation  of  the  age." 
What  age?  what  ason?  Why  the  age  or  aeon  of 
evangelism,  of  course;  and  Jesus  intimates  that 
that  is  "  alway." 

Let  me,  then,  put  forward  the  thesis  that  we 
have  in  this  text  a  universal  commission,  coupled 
with  an  age-lasting  promise. 

The  commission  is  universal :  "  Go  ye  into  all 
the  universe,  and  preach  the  gospel  to  every  cre- 
ated being."  It  has  been  fitly  inferred  that  we 
have  enfolded  in  this  text  a  claim  to  the  univer- 
sality of  Christianity  and  its  fitness  to  all. 
When  Bishop  Thoburn  went  to  India,  he  was  en- 
couraged by  the  comment,  "  You  might  as  well 
try  to  make  a  Christian  out  of  that  pillar  as  out 
of  the  natives  here."  At  the  end  of  40  years, 
S00,000  Christian  converts  could  be  counted  in 
India.  The  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  has  proven 
itself  as  well  adapted  to  the  Hindoo  as  to  any  of 
his  Aryan  cousins  or  Brahmanical,  Buddhistic,  or 
Mahomedan  co-religionists.  It  suits  every  race 
and  every  mental  temperament.  It  meets  the 
need  of  the  groping,  sin-burdened  soul  from 
Madagascar  to  Labrador,  from  Alaska  back 
around  to  Japan.  None  but  the  most  ignorant 
would  quibble  any  longer  upon  that  point.  In 
the  course  of  generations,  some  things  get  proved. 

If  all  men  here;  why  not  all  men  hereafter; 
why    not    all    intelligent    beings    everywhere  — 


THE  GREAT  COMMISSION         109 

Martians  or  demons?  All  come  literally  within 
the  scope  of  the  commission  —  preach  the  gospel 
to  every  created  being.  A  clergyman  asked  the 
Duke  of  Wellington,  for  information,  if  he  really 
thought  the  gospel  could  profitably  be  carried 
to  the  heathen.  "  Look  to  your  marching  orders, 
sir,"  was  the  characteristic  reply :  "  '  Go  ye  into 
all  the  world,  and  preach  the  gospel  to  every 
creature.'  "  Perhaps  the  time  has  come  for  us 
to  look  again  to  our  marching  orders,  that  we 
may  be  encouraged  by  a  wider  view  of  our  in- 
tended campaign.  A  mission  to  helli^  You 
shrink  in  horror  from  the  thought.  But  wait; 
an  artillery  officer  had  his  men  endeavoring  to 
drag  their  guns  to  a  certain  hill-top.  The 
wheels  stuck:  they  strained  in  vain  and  cried, 
"  Captain,  it  can't  be  done !  "  "  Men,  it  can !  " 
was  the  reply :  "  I  have  the  order  in  my  pocket." 
There  can  be  no  stronger  argument  when  om- 
niscience has  given  an  order,  or  commission.  Let 
us  look  again  this  morning  and  see  what  commis- 
sion this  great  missionary  Church  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  has,  perhaps  unconsciously,  in  its 
pocket.  Paul,  in  the  doxology  following  his 
finest  prayer  exclaims,  "  Now  unto  him  that  is 
able  to  do  exceeding  abundantly  above  all  that 
we  ask  or  think,  according  to  the  power  that 
worketh  in  us,  unto  him  be  glory  in  the  church 
by  Christ  Jesus  throughout  all  ages,  unto  the 
ages  of  ages,  amen."  The  church  has  a  mission 
of  some  sort  for  the  ages  of  the  ages  yet  to  come, 


110      GOSPEL  FOR  BOTH  WORLDS 

and  omnipotence  stands  back  of  that  mission  and 
commission. 

So  far  as  I  know,  I  am  alone  in  advancing  as 
a  theological  tenet  a  belief  in  evangelism  in 
hell.  If  I  haven't  scripture  for  it;  what  do  the 
words  of  our  text  mean?  Our  Lord  might  so 
easily  have  given  us  a  qualified  commission ;  but 
this  has  not  one  limitation.  It  is  universal,  and 
it  is  without  ...exception.  On  the  face  of  it,  it 
takes  in  the  humblest,  the  lowest,  the  most  igno- 
rant, the  most  animal,  the  most  demoniacal.  It 
takes  in  earth  and  hell.  It  declares  none  of 
God's  created  beings  hopeless.  It  points  the  un- 
erring finget  for  you  and  me,  when  we  are 
through  with  the  mission  fields  of  earth,  and  or- 
ders, "  Go,  go  !  " —  dozvn  there  —  and  save !  " 

Our  Lord  Himself  has  set  the  example  of 
evangelism  in  hell.  He  doesn't  ask  you  or  me 
to  go  where  He  hasn't  gone  Himself,  where  Paul 
and  Peter  and  the  Apostles'  Creed  agree  that  He 
has  gone,  where  He  hasn't  been,  from  the  begin- 
ning in  His  essential  character  of  a  Saviour  as 
well  as  of  a  judge,  where  He  will  not  go  with  us 
and  be  with  us  alway  even  unto  the  consumma- 
tion of  hell's  seon  and  to  the  winding  up  of  its  ex- 
istence. What  possibly  could  be  a  more  reason- 
able thing  for  Jesus  to  do  than  to  evangelize  hell? 
Where  could  He  find  more  souls  to  save?  Where 
could  there  be  manifested  more  gloriously  His 
infinite  power  to  save? 

The  terrestrial  mission  field  needs  the  infernal 


THE  GREAT  COMMISSION         111 

mission  field  to  complete  its  conquests.  The 
work  begun  on  earth  must  be  finished  —  if  fin- 
ished anywhere  —  finished  in  hell.  We  grasp 
at  drowning  souls  here,  and  save  a  comparative 
few.  Hell  is  the  resuscitation  ground  of 
drowned  souls.  If  this  is  not  true ;  then  the  vast 
majority  of  our  race  have  been  hopelessly 
doomed.  Under  the  eye  and  hand  of  an  all-fore- 
seeing, omnipotent  God,  who  alone  decrees,  and 
plans,  and  brings  to  pass  whatsoever  comes  to 
pass,  a  million  to  one  of  His  creatures  have  been 
created  to  be  forever  damned.  Can  you  believe 
it?  Then,  there  is  no  other  alternative  but  to 
look  forward  to  salvation  in  hell.  God  has 
elected  some  to  be  saved  from  hell,  and  the  re- 
mainder to  be  saved  out  of  hell;  and  in  it  all 
His  infinite  wisdom  and  love  will  be  vindicated 
in  the  end.  All's  well  that  ends  well.  All  can- 
not be  well ;  if  part  ends  ill.  Ask  any  one  of  our 
foreign  missionaries  who  has  stood  amid  the 
blight  and  ruin  of  paganism,  and  strained  to 
heave  a  tiny  section  of  its  awful  lethargy  an 
inch  nearer  to  the  truth  in  Christ  Jesus  —  ask 
what  it  has  been  which  has  nerved  him  for  the 
supreme  endurance  of  his  mighty  task.  If  he 
is  of  the  more  outspoken  type,  he  will  tell  you 
it  is  the  hope  that  somewhere,  somehow,  those 
millions  dying  around  him  in  that  far,  dark  land 
without  a  conscious  knowledge  of  their  only 
Saviour,  may  yet  have  a  chance  truly  to  know 
Him  whom  to  know  is  life  eternal.     He  will  say, 


112      GOSPEL  FOR  BOTH  WORLDS 

"  If  I  didn't  believe  this ;  I  couldn't  stand  what  I 
have  seen." 

We  can  give  our  lives  to  missions ;  we  can  pour 
our  millions  into  missions ;  if  you  will  only  give 
us  breath  of  hope.  If  in  Siam,  or  Persia,  or 
New  England,  or  any  land  of  most  obdurate  mis- 
belief, or  unbelief,  we  could  part  the  veil  of 
obscurity  that  hides  the  future  and  know  defi- 
nitely that  the  cause  of  God's  truth,  the  rose  of 
Sharon,  was  destined  to  wither  ^nd  die  there ; 
that  some  day  the  last  discouraged  herald  of  the 
gospel  would  have  to  be  recalled,  and  the  in- 
habitants left  to  their  insensate  paganism ;  would 
not  the  hearts  of  workers  there  faint  and  fail  at 
the  prospect,  would  not  contributions  and  lega- 
cies fail  of  flowing  in  that  direction,  would  not 
bright,  intelligent  young  lives  cease  to  be  offered 
for  that  field?  All  that  keeps  the  whole  cause 
of  missions  alive  for  an  hour  is  the  hope  of  ulti- 
mate world-conquest.  Thank  God!  we  are  en- 
couraged by  His  inerrant  word,  we  are  en- 
couraged by  the  ground  already  gained  against 
infinite  odds  to  believe  that  His  work  will  go  on. 
But  what  after  all  is  the  true  mission  of  mis- 
sions.? Is  it  to  spread  the  name  of  Christendom 
over  the  map?  Is  it  not  rather  and  supremely 
to  save  perishing  immortal  souls?  Each  soul 
lost  is  a  failure  that  never  can  be  repaired  on 
earth,  a  regret  that  no  success  with  others  can 
remove.  If  missions  for  this  world  were  all,  and 
were   to   become   completely    successful;    still   we 


THE  GREAT  COMMISSION         IIS 

would  have  a  redeemed  humanity  standing  broken 
hearted,  wringing  its  hands  above  the  corpse  of 
a  slaughtered  race.  The  work  of  missions 
would  be  done,  and  yet  forever,  hopelessly  not 
done  and  never  to  be  done.  The  universe  would 
be  saddened  by  an  eternal  regret.  Hell  would 
still  be  triumphant ;  heaven  would  be  in  tears. 

Friends!  we  are  not  giving  our  lives,  our 
prayers,  our  treasures  to  a  doomed  cause  like  that. 
Our  divine  commission  is  not  such  a  mockery. 
Glory  to  God!  the  work  begun  here,  will  go  on 
and  on.  You  say  the  commission  itself  contains 
a  limitation.  "  He  that  believeth  and  is  bap- 
tized shall  be  saved,  but  he  that  believeth  not 
shall  be  damned."  Yes,  that  is  true  here  as  well 
as  hereafter.  He  that  believeth  not  is  con- 
demned already.  In  the  Greek  it  is  the  same 
word.  Our  cry  is  not,  "  Believe,  or  be  damned." 
Our  cry  is,  "  Believe ;  for  you  are  damned." 
Without  Christ,  you  are  already  lost  in  sin. 
Now,  that  is  a  cry  that  suits  hell.  "  Believe  I 
for  you  are  damned."  And  Christ  is  the  only 
Saviour  of  those  who  are  lost,  who  are  damned. 
They  are  damned  because  they  do  not  believe; 
but  more  universally  true  than  that,  they  are 
damned  until  they  do  believe.  Always  every- 
where repentance  and  faith  end  condemnation. 
The  worst  damnation  of  all  is  a  damnation  into 
unbelief.  When  God  sends  men  strong  delusion, 
that  they  should  believe  a  lie!  There  are  mil- 
lions in  this  world  and  in  the  lower  world  who 


114      GOSPEL  FOR  BOTH  WORLDS 

would  rather  believe  a  He,  than  believe  the  truth. 
Any  old  lie !  Mohammedanism,  Romanism,  Mor- 
monism,  Spiritualism,  Agnosticism,  Christian 
Science,  New  Thought,  Theosophy  —  anything, 
so  it  is  palpably  not  the  truth !  Hell  itself  could 
hardly  be  more  besotted  with  fads,  than  this 
second  decade  of  the  Twentieth  Century.  But 
oh,  thank  God!  there  is  something  more  lasting 
than  fads.  Back  again,  after  its  snake  dance 
with  poisonous  error,  comes  poor,  stricken,  heart- 
weary,  unsatisfied  humanity  to  the  One  who  alone 
can  say,  "  I  am  the  way,  the  truth,  and  the  life." 
No  soul  can  stay  damned;  for  no  soul  can  bear 
forever  its  unremitting  loneliness  for  the  Christ, 
its  unappeasable  homesickness  for  heaven. 
"  Thou  hast  made  our  hearts  after  Thee,"  Augus- 
tine exclaims ;  "  and  they  never  rest  until  they  rest 
in  Thee." 

Nothing  could  be  more  hopeful  than  our  en- 
deavor. The  innermost  yearning  of  every 
created  being  is  with  it.  Even  Satan's  heart  is 
pining  for  it.  The  most  insensate  madman  of 
superstition,  and  doubt,  and  sin  in  all  God's  uni- 
verse some  day  will  give  over  torturing  himself 
to  hold  out  longer  against  love. 

He  that  believeth  and  is  baptized  —  with  water 
and  the  spirit  here,  with  the  same  quickening 
spirit  hereafter  —  shall  be  saved.  Those  who 
do  not  find  space  for  repentance  on  earth ;  though 
they  seek  it  carefully  and  with  tears,  as  they 
grope    from   one   misconception    of   God   to   an- 


THE  GREAT  COMMISSION         115 

other;    will    surely    seek    and    find    it    hereafter. 
They  stray ;  but  "  toward  a  star." 

Does  it  not  give  the  gospel  a  new  power  for 
you,  dear  unconverted  friend,  to  realize  that  it 
is  for  every  creature?  Perhaps  you  have  been 
kept  from  accepting  it,  as  yet;  because  you  have 
regarded  it  as  a  somewhat  narrow  and  limited 
offer,  a  sort  of  snap  proposition,  the  very 
brevity  of  whose  chance  made  you  hesitate  and 
turn  suspicious.  This  morning  the  gospel  ap- 
peal comes  to  you ;  if  the  truth  is  with  us ;  as 
an  eternally  standing  offer,  yet  coupled  with 
solemn  warning  of  danger  and  loss  in  delaying 
to  accept  it.  He  that  believeth  not  shall  be 
damned.  Will  you  accept  it  to-day  under  this 
bright  blue  sky  of  earth,  or  do  you  prefer  to 
wait  and  have  the  offer  seek  you  out,  ages  hence, 
among  the  dark  and  gloomy  caverns  of  the 
damned?  If  you  accept  the  gospel  now;  you 
can  have  an  honorable  part  to  perform  under  its 
commission.  Perhaps  you  feel  that  you  cannot 
do  much  to  aid  the  cause  of  the  gospel  in  what 
remains  to  you  of  hurried,  toilsome  earthly  life; 
but,  friends,  we  will  have  eternity  for  the  work 
of  the  gospel.  What  we  can  do  for  Christ  and 
the  gospel  here,  is  little  more  than  training  for 
the  wider,  freer  work  beyond.  This  world  is 
God's  vineyard,  but  His  training  vineyard 
mainly.  The  eleventh  hour  men  may  each  well  re- 
ceive his  day's  wage,  which  is  mainly,  after  all, 
the  reward  of  living  on  to  work  unhampered  for 


116      GOSPEL  FOR  BOTH  WORLDS 

God  in  the  boundless  vintage  of  eternity.  The 
victor  in  Spartan  games  had  this  for  his  most 
glorious  distinction  and  reward,  that  he  was 
privileged  to  stand  in  the  forefront  of  future 
battles  for  his  country.  Promotion  is  the  su- 
preme reward  —  to  be  foreman  where  you  were 
laborer;  to  take  charge  of  a  department  in  which 
you  were  a  clerk;  to  be  called  to  a  larger  pas- 
torate, with  graver  responsibilities,  multiplied  op- 
portunities of  service ;  from  police-commissioner 
to  governor,  vice-president,  president.  So  it 
is  in  heaven.  He  that  has  been  faithful  in  a 
few  things  shall  be  made  ruler  over  many  things. 
The  man  who  gained  two  talents  for  his  master 
shall  have  two  cities  to  care  for.  The  faithful 
worker  in  church  or  mission  shall  have  a  wider 
mission  to  lost  souls  beyond.  I  said  the  mis- 
sion field  of  earth  needs  the  mission  field  of  hell 
to  complete  its  conquests.  I  can  also  claim  that 
this  infernal  mission  field  is  needed  to  employ 
the  trained  faculties  of  earth's  workers.  The 
man  whose  health  has  failed  under  a  foreign 
climate,  and  all  his  remaining  life  here  must  be 
a  wustfulness  for  the  glorious  service  interrupted ; 
the  man  who  has  met  quick  martyrdom  in  Christ's 
service,  either  by  disease  or  violent  death;  these 
shall  not  go  to  spend  eternity  in  an  unavailing 
sigh  for  the  usefulness  they  have  missed  here ; 
but  when  they  are  called  up  higher  they  will 
find  promotion  to  a  work  so  wide  and  sweet  and 
glad  for  God,  that  earth's  retrospect  will  have 


THE  GREAT  COMMISSION         117 

in  it  no  unavailing  regret.  They  will  have  souls 
for  their  hire:  souls  to  win  in  eternity.  I  am 
thinking  of  a  friend  who  helped  me  in  boyhood 
as  only  a  young  man  can  help  a  boy.  He  would 
gladly  have  been  a  minister  of  the  gospel;  only 
his  eyes  gave  out  from  love  of  study.  Sand- 
ford,  old  friend,  you  will  be  a  preacher  in  glory. 
We  will  all  be  preachers  there.  Heaven  has  no 
laity,  as  Christ's  church  here  rightfully  has  no 
laity;  and  there  we  shall  sing  our  praises  unto 
Him  that  loved  us,  and  washed  us  from  our  sins 
in  His  own  blood,  who  was  slain  and  has  re- 
deemed us  to  God  by  His  blood  out  of  every 
kindred,  and  tongue,  and  people,  and  nation ;  and 
hath  made  us  kings  and  priests  unto  God  and 
His  Father;  that  we  may  be  priests  of  God  and 
of  Christ  a  thousand  years;  unto  whom  be  glory 
and  dominion  forever  and  ever.  A  mission  to 
hell?  Heaven  will  be  aching  for  it,  tingling  for 
it,  exulting  in  it;  until,  one  by  one,  its  vast  re- 
vival field  shall  have  yielded  up  its  precious, 
priceless,  penitents;  and  the  joy-bells  of  heaven 
ring  their  final  peal  over  the  last  hard  heart  of 
hell  in  tears. 

And  going  out  upon  this  glorious  seonian  mis- 
sion quest  of  souls,  we  have  the  promise  of  such 
companionship  as  will  make  heaven  for  us  any- 
where. "  Go  ye  into  all  the  kosmos,''  He  com- 
mands, "  and  preach  the  gospel  to  every  created 
being;  and  lo,  I  am  with  you  all  the  days  even 
unto  the  synteleia^  the  winding  up  together  of  the 


118      GOSPEL  FOR  BOTH  WORLDS 

age.  All  lines  and  curves  in  the  history  of  this 
universe  converge  —  some  of  them  from  almost 
infinite  distances  —  toward  a  far-off  focus,  a  con- 
summation, a  synteleia.  This  is  the  one  far-off, 
divine  event  toward  which  the  whole  creation 
moves.  Not  only  do  the  planets  of  our  solar 
system  circle  each  in  its  ellipse  around  the  sun ; 
but  the  sun  itself,  with  its  whole  system  of  worlds, 
circles  onward,  together  with  other  suns  and  all 
their  unseen  worlds,  around  some  center  which 
our  finite  figuring  cannot  locate. 

**  We  sleep,  we  wake,  we  sleep ;  but  all  things  move ; 
The  sun  flies  forward  to  his  brother  sun, 
The  round  earth  follows,  wheeled  in  her  ellipse, 
And  human  things,  returning  on  themselves. 
Move  onward,  leading  up  the  golden  year." 

The  shadows  of  earth's  sunsets  point  toward 
the  sun-rise.  As  sure  as  facts  cannot  lie,  a  mil- 
lion prophetic  fingers  point  our  progress  for- 
ward toward  the  synteleia.  There  will  be  a 
restoration  of  all  things.  "  The  whole  creation 
groaneth  and  travalleth  in  pain  together  until 
now,  waiting  for  the  adoption,  the  redemption." 

You  and  I  have  our  part  in  the  synteleia. 
Out  of  the  poor  little  blundering  half-failures  of 
our  little  lives  God  is  summing  up  the  splendid 
total  of  His  perfect  success.  Every  day  we  are 
building  better  than  we  know;  for  there  is  a 
Master  Builder  with  us   suggesting  the  details; 


THE  GREAT  COMMISSION         119 

but  He  alone  knows  the  whole  plan.  Worker  for 
God,  what  is  it  makes  your  heart  kindle  with  a 
sudden  happiness  when  you  have  overcome  em- 
barrassment and  false  tact  to  speak  out  bravely 
for  your  Master?  What  is  it  that  brings  the 
little  burst  of  song  in  your  heart,  as  you  come 
from  the  house  of  mourning  where  you  have  wept 
with  those  that  weep?  What  is  it  makes  life 
seem  so  rich  as  you  walk  home  tired  after  put- 
ting your  whole  heart  and  brain  into  teaching 
your  Sabbath  school  class?  Why,  it  is  just 
Jesus  keeping  his  promise !  It  is  the  "  go  "  fol- 
lowed by  the  "  lo  " !  "  Lo,  I  am  with  you  all  the 
days."  The  expression  is  Hebraic,  thinly  veiled 
in  Greek  words.  It  takes  us  back  in  memory  to 
Moses,  shrinking  at  the  thought  of  standing  be- 
fore Pharaoh  to  demand  the  release  of  the  cap- 
tives, and  God  answering  him  out  of  the  fiery 
bush,  "  Certainly,  I  will  be  with  thee."  It  takes 
us  back  to  Jehovah's  encouragement  of  Joshua. 
"  As  I  was  with  Moses,  I  will  be  with  thee :  I 
will  not  fail  thee,  nor  forsake  thee.  Be  strong 
and  of  good  courage."  It  is  a  promise  which 
takes  in  moment  by  moment.  It  is  a  promise 
which  has  availed  through  all  the  days  of  earth's 
history  for  millions  who  have  trusted  in  it.  In 
cities  of  heathenism,  in  opposing  synagogues,  in 
noisome  prisons,  in  the  arena  of  martyrdom,  in 
leper  cells,  before  judgment  seats,  the  Inquisition, 
on  the  rack,  in  the  galleys,  upon  grim  battlefields, 
in  pathless  woods  of  banishment,  how  the  glorious 


ISO      GOSPEL  FOR  BOTH  WORLDS 

promise  has  been  fulfilled  to  each  — "  I  will  never 
leave  thee  nor  forsake  thee." 

"  Lo,  I  am  with  you  all  the  days  " :  it  is  our 
Saviour's  promise,  unconditioned  by  time  or 
space,  conditioned  only  by  our  willingness  to  go 
where  He  sends  us.  In  it  is  wrapped  His  tacit 
claim  to  divine  omnipresence.  He  could  not  have 
made  such  a  promise,  if  He  had  not  been  God. 
Christ  is  everywhere  always.  So  long  as  we  are 
moving  under  His  great  commission  to  preach 
His  gospel,  He  will  be  with  us  in  Worcester,  in 
China,  or  in  hell.  All  the  days,  all  the  years, 
all  the  fieons.     Is  not  that  enough  for  us.? 

Anywhere  with  Jesus  I  can  safely  go. 
Anywhere  He  leads  me  in  the  world  below. 
Anywhere,  without  Him,  dearest  joys  would  fade: 
Anywhere  with  Jesus  I  am  not  afraid. 

Anywhere!  anywhere!  Fear  I  cannot  know. 
Anywhere  with  Jesus  I  can  safely  go. 

Anywhere  with  Jesus  I  am  not  alone; 

While  hell's  skies  are  darkening,  He  is  still  my 

own. 
Though  His  hand  may  lead  me  through  perdition's 

ways; 
Anywhere  with  Jesus  is  a  house  of  praise. 

Anywhere  that  Jesus  has  His  souls  to  win. 
Precious  souls  to  rescue  from  the  doom  of  sin. 
Heaven  will  be  round  me,  wheresoe'er  I  roam. 
Anywhere  with  Jesus  will  be  home,  sweet  home. 


THE  COMPLETED  CHORUS 

"  And  they  sung  a  new  song,  saying,  Thou  art  worthy 
to  take  the  book  and  to  open  the  seals  thereof:  for  thou 
wast  slain,  and  hast  redeemed  us  to  God  out  of  every 
kindred,  and  tongue,  and  people,  and  nation.  And  every 
creature  which  is  in  heaven,  and  on  the  earth,  and  under 
the  earth,  and  such  as  are  in  the  sea,  and  all  that  are  in 
them  heard  I  saying.  Blessing,  and  honor,  and  glory,  and 
power  be  unto  him  that  sitteth  upon  the  throne,  and  unto 
the  Lamb  forever  and  ever." — Revelation  v,  9  and  13, 

The  history  of  God's  kosmos  is  an  oratorio 
of  ever-increasing  wonder.  First  we  hear 
the  anthem  of  creation;  next,  the  permitted  dis- 
cord of  evil;  then,  the  resolved  harmony  of  re- 
demption. Nature,  sin,  and  grace  are  vocal. 
The  march  of  progress  is  rhythmic  In  its  beat. 
Each  life  has  its  part.  From  echo-music  of 
the  spheres,  and  still  small  voice  of  mystery,  to 
grand  crescendo  of  full  achievement;  a  unity  in 
the  piece  has  been,  and  is  yet  to  be  revealed  that 
lifts  the  soul  to  awe  and  rapture.  The  inner 
theme  is  ever  present,  the  leit  motif  bears  out 
its  promise,  and  the  glory  of  the  full  chorus  is 
prophesied  throughout. 

When  God  laid  the  foundations  of  the  earth, 
the  morning  stars  sang  together,  and  all  the 
sons  of  God  shouted  for  joy.  That  was  in  spite 
of  all  they  foresaw.  "  And  God  saw  everything 
that  He  had  made,  and,  behold,  it  was  very 
121 


122      GOSPEL  FOR  BOTH  WORLDS 

good."  With  telescope,  and  microscope,  and 
many  an  aid  to  comprehension,  we  are  still  look- 
ing to  see  more  and  more  of  what  God  sees  in 
His  creation ;  and  thus  the  wonder  and  the  glory 
of  it  grow  upon  us  from  year  to  year.  The 
whole  earth  is  full  of  His  glory.  Day  unto  day 
uttereth  speech,  and  night  unto  night  sheweth 
knowledge.  Their  vibrant  musical  chord  is  gone 
out  through  all  the  earth,  and  their  words  to  the 
end  of  the  world.  Every  part  of  the  million- 
fold  song  of  nature  has  its  meaning  for  him  who 
has  an  ear  to  hear.  The  little  stream  running 
from  the  spring  under  the  hill  has  a  song  for 
those  who  stop  to  hear ;  an  endless,  crooning 
roundelay,  first  a  whisper  and  then  a  gurgle, 
something  like  this  :  — 

**  Listen,  listen ! 
God  is  love! 

I  came  up  out  of  the  deep  Heart  of  love. 
Listen!  listen!  listen! 
God  is  love." 

So  the  sucking  of  the  thirsty  meadow  drinking 
in  the  rain,  the  purling  of  the  river,  the  roll  of 
the  surf,  the  roar  of  the  waterfall,  the  whisper 
of  the  wind  through  the  pines,  the  reverberation 
of  thunder,  even  the  shrieking  of  the  gale  moving 
in  its  vast,  beneficent  purpose,  all  sing  of  God's 
majesty  and  goodness.  He  is  thus  interpreting 
Himself  to  us  in  audible  tones. 


THE  COMPLETED  CHORUS        1^3 

**  No  mere  machine  is  Nature, 

Wound  up  and  left  to  play; 
No  wind-harp   swept  at  random 
By  airs  that  idly  stray. 

A  spirit  sways  the  music, 

A  hand  is  on  the  chords; 
O  bow  thy  head  and  listen! 
That  hand  —  it  is  the  Lord's." 

It  is  not  necessary  for  each  member  of  an 
orchestra  or  chorus  to  fully  comprehend  all  that 
the  composer  of  the  piece  had  in  mind,  or  even 
all  the  leader  grasps  of  the  composer's  thought. 
It  is  sufficient,  in  the  main,  that  each  expresses 
his  own  part  as  directed.  So  with  the  vast  an- 
them of  nature;  the  marvel  of  its  unity  is  all 
the  work  of  one  Master-mind.  Each  detail  of 
creation  fits  in  with  its  wholeness  in  splendid, 
spontaneous  harmony.  At  least  we  can  say  that 
the  universe  as  a  whole  shows  sufficient  grandeur 
and  finish  to  convince  any  candid  mind  that  the 
details  of  it  which  seem  to  us  to  be  imperfections 
are  intended  for  some  purpose  yet  to  be  under- 
stood. The  mind  which  could  plan  one  solar 
system  is  not  likely  to  be  accused  of  oversights. 
Some  hesitating  notes  in  the  prelude  are  for  a 
fine  realistic  purpose,  to  be  better  appreciated 
later  on.  Frankly,  the  anthem  of  creation  — 
especially  the  creation  of  man  —  is  one  full  of 
mystery.  Its  charm  and  genuineness  are  largely 
in  the  mystery.     If  we  found  no   mystery;  we 


124?      GOSPEL  FOR  BOTH  WORLDS 

might  well  doubt  the  infinitude  of  its  composer. 
How  God  fashioned  man  from  the  materials  of 
the  earth  and  prepared  his  body  for  the  in- 
breathed soul,  Genesis  does  not  tell,  neither  do 
we  know.  The  straight  evolutionary  hypothesis 
is  disproved  by  the  reason  of  things;  because  to 
create  a  race  by  evolution  would  be  unspeakably 
cruel  and  immoral.  It  is  disproved  by  the  facts 
of  the  case ;  because  such  an  evolution  of  man 
from  lower  animal  forms  would  have  littered  the 
earth  with  remains  of  brute  men.  Instead  of  one 
or  two  debatable  skulls,  we  would  have  millions 
of  specimens  of  these  missing  links.  Nature 
has  yet  to  afford  an  example  of  the  gradual 
evolution  of  one  species  from  another.  The 
most  advanced  type  of  evolutionists  teach  an 
evolution  by  jumps,  or  sudden  and  accidental 
changes  from  one  type  to  another.  Presided 
over  by  Intelligence,  this  would  be  the  most 
satisfactory  kind  of  creation.  This  would  also 
explain  and  provide  for  the  acknowledged  fact 
of  the  unity  of  our  race.  Out  from  the  womb 
of  animal  nature  a  single  pair,  majestically 
distinct:  the  gateway  from  which  they  came  for- 
ever closed:  two  perfect  human  bodies  infused 
with  innocent  reasoning  souls.  Hearts  of  rever- 
ence looking  out  upon  a  world  of  wonder,  and 
recognizing  their  Creator  on  every  hand.  The 
cap-stone  of  earth's  creation  put  in  place!  If 
the  morning  stars  sang  together  when  earth's 
foundation  was  laid;  think  what  ecstasy  of  jubi- 


THE  COMPLETED  CHORUS        1^5 

lation  thus  greeted  its  completed  mission.  Think 
how  the  sons  of  God  must  now  have  shouted 
again  for  joy.  Plow  the  angels  must  have  loved 
them:  these  two  new,  beautiful  beings,  made  in- 
wardly in  the  image  of  God !  See  them  standing 
hand  in  hand,  lifting  their  faces  to  the  sky,  un- 
marred  by  a  blemish  of  imperfection,  unstained 
by  a  thought  of  sin!  You  say  it  is  a  fanciful 
picture:  why  then  do  all  the  facts  of  accredited 
history  point  back  to  that  picture?  Take  it,  say, 
from  the  year  500  B.  C.  backwards.  Instead  of 
descending  from  comparative  civilization  back- 
wards toward  cave  dwellers  and  stone  hatchet  peo- 
ple ;  as  you  go  backward  among  the  records  and 
monuments  of  history ;  you  find  increasingly  finer 
types  of  men,  more  thoughtful  literature,  more 
wonderful  feats  of  engineering,  marvelous  erec- 
tions of  sheer  physical  strength,  every  evidence 
of  finer  physique,  of  longer  lives,  of  brighter 
minds.  Your  cave  dwellers,  your  stone  age  peo- 
ple are  comparatively  modern.  The  history  of 
every  race  has  been  one  of  degeneration,  without 
the  life-giving  power  of  God's  truth.  In  Africa 
where  a  generation  ago  were  found  brutish  canni- 
bal fetish-worshipers,  we  find  the  excavations  of 
gold  mines  scientifically  worked  ages  before.  In 
America,  we  found  stone-age  savages  roaming  the 
woods  among  ruins  and  mounds  erected  by  a  far 
superior  race.  In  Asia,  huts  of  loose  stones  and 
mud  cower  against  the  remains  of  walls  of  mas- 
sive strength  which  have  stood  since  before  the 


126      GOSPEL  FOR  BOTH  WORLDS 

dawn  of  written  history.  Take  away  the  pyra- 
mids, the  Sphinx,  the  ruins  of  Baalbec,  the  great 
wall  of  China,  the  cuneiform  inscriptions  of 
Babylon,  the  writings  of  Confucius  and  of  Moses ; 
then  we  will  be  more  ready  to  listen  to  your  late 
fancies  about  slow  gradations  upward  from 
animal  intelligence.  This  old  Book  says,  God 
made  man  perfect.  It  says  that  He  gave  him 
dominion  over  all  the  works  of  His  hand.  The 
anthem  of  creation  begins  in  joy. 

Then  came  the  discord  of  evil.     To  say  that 
it  was  not  foreseen  and  permitted  and  woven  into 
the  plot,  is  to  conceive  of  God  as  less  than  god. 
No  musical  creation  is  complete  without  its  minor 
chord.     But  neither  man  nor  angel  ever  was  made 
to  sin.     The  existence  of  evil  in  God's  world  has 
but  one  moral  and  rational  explanation.     It  is 
that  somewhere  back   amid  the  beginnings,   one 
of  God's  sons,  endowed  with  freedom  of  choice, 
freely  chose  to  sin  and  thus  became  the  tempter 
of  others.     Oh,  what  a  crash  of  doom  swept  the 
chords  of  creation  when  the  first  of  God's  children 
turned  to  sin !     The  wail  of  hate  struck  in  where 
hitherto  love  and  joy  had  been  dominant.     All 
too  soon  the  tempter  found  his  most  facile  prey 
in  man.     If  this  had  not  been  so ;  that  golden 
age  of  innocence  to  which  the  universal  traditions 
of  mankind  point  backward  would  have  lasted 
long  enough  to  leave  its  monuments  of  godlike 
power.     Man  fell,  as  angels  had  fallen,  and  the 
rough  harsh  notes  came  faster.     Fear  hushed  the 


THE  COMPLETED  CHORUS        127 

response  of  man's  heart  to  God,  deceit  struck  its 
false  chord,  offered  its  cowardly  excuse  and  ac- 
cusation, judgment  pronounced  its  primal  doom 
of  exclusion  and  of  toil.  Soon  murder  shrieked 
its  dissonance  after  the  mutterings  of  envy,  and 
remorse  and  fear  groaned  their  drear  lament  over 
a  bitter  fate.  How  that  discord  of  lust  and 
rage  and  terror  has  sounded  through  the  cen- 
turies, how  it  lingers  still!  But  oh!  thank  God! 
just  in  tlie  beginning  of  the  discord  of  sin  came 
the  first  new  harmony  of  redemption.  God's 
blessed  promise  of  a  new  humanity  triumphing 
over  Satan  with  the  God-man  as  the  Captain  of 
its  salvation,  Abel's  sacrifice  of  atonement  and  of 
penitence  strike  the  first  notes  of  a  new  accord 
between  God  and  man.  This  has  been  the  ravish- 
ing melody  of  the  ages.  It  has  grown  clearer 
and  sweeter  and  stronger.  It  has  thrilled  in 
many  million  humble  hearts.  Far  back  in  the 
patriarchal  age.  Job  sang  in  the  midst  of  his 
trouble,  "  I  know  that  my  Redeemer  liveth,  and 
that  He  will  stand  at  the  latter  day  upon  the 
earth."  The  Psalms  pulsate  with  the  theme  of 
rescue  from  sin  and  sorrow.  Isaiah  and  all  the 
prophets  exult  in  the  vision  of  a  coming  Saviour. 
"  Many  prophets  and  righteous  men,"  Jesus  said 
"  have  desired  to  see  the  things  which  ye  see,  and 
have  not  seen  them."  "  Abraham  rejoiced  to  see 
my  day:  and  he  saw  it  and  was  glad."  During 
all  these  centuries  of  earth's  waiting  for  her  Re- 
deemer, heaven  was  thrilling  with  relief  from  its 


128      GOSPEL  FOR  BOTH  WORLDS 

sadness  over  earth  in  the  prospect  of  Christ's 
mission.  When  He  came  to  be  bom  as  the  Son 
of  Man,  heaven  could  no  longer  contain  its  joys; 
but  sent  a  multitude  of  its  host  to  sing  the  good 
news  to  listening  ears  of  earth.  Every  true 
joy-song  in  the  heart  of  man  all  these  sad 
centuries  has  been  an  echo  really  of  heaven's 
music  of  redemption.  Professor  Tyndall,  wish- 
ing to  demonstrate  the  wave  theory  of  sound, 
had  a  wooden  rod  coming  up  through  several 
stories  of  a  building.  The  bottom  rested  upon 
the  sounding  board  of  a  piano;  upon  the  top 
in  his  lecture  hall  rested  a  violin.  An  unheard 
musician  performed  upon  the  piano  below,  and 
the  violin  gave  forth  the  same  strains  faintly 
above.  So  there  is  a  wireless  telephony  of 
heaven's  joy  in  every  heart  on  earth  that  thrills 
with  the  ecstasy  of  pardon.  And  wherever 
the  glad  tidings  of  great  joy  are  proclaimed 
on  earth,  in  sermon,  song,  or  story,  heaven,  in 
its  turn,  echoes  with  its  all-compensating  evan- 
gel. 

There  is  nothing  more  pervasive  than  har- 
mony. Discords  war  with  each  other  and  stop 
bluntly.  Harmonies  catch  from  wire  to  wire, 
from  heart  to  heart,  and  linger  in  diminishing 
waves.  How  the  harmonies  of  redemption  are 
triumphing  amid  all  the  short-lived  blaring 
noises  of  this  world !  There  is  prophecy  in  every 
note  of  perfect,  universal  melody  by  and  by. 


THE  COMPLETED  CHORUS        129 

"My  life  flows  on  in  endless  song; 

Above  earth's  lamentation, 
I  catch  the  sweet,  though  f  ar-oiF  hymn 

That  hails  a  new  creation. 
Through  all  the  tumult  and  the  strife 

I  hear  that  music  ringing; 
It  finds  an  echo  in  my  soul  — 

How  can  I  keep  from  singing  ?  " 

The  theme  of  the  book  of  Revelation  is  an 
echo  from  the  future  as  well  as  a  vision  of  It. 
The  book  Is  full  of  voices.  John  on  Patmos 
hears  the  resolved  harmonies  of  redemption 
swelling  by  several  successive  gradations  to  a 
completed  chorus.  First  he  hears  the  choral 
testimony  of  the  four  symbolic  living  creatures 
full  of  eyes  and  of  the  four  and  twenty  elders 
singing  the  new  song  with  their  harps  before 
the  throne  set  in  heaven.  He,  too,  hears  a  voice 
from  heaven  as  the  voice  of  many  waters,  and  as 
the  voice  of  a  great  thunder,  the  voice  of  harpers 
harping  with  their  harps.  These  also  sing  the 
new  song  before  the  throne  and  before  the  four 
living  creatures  and  the  elders,  a  song  which  no 
man  can  learn  but  the  hundred  and  forty  and 
four  thousand  sealed  ones  from  the  symbolic 
tribes  of  faith's  greater  Israel.  Only  those  who 
have  experienced  sin  and  redemption  can  sing 
that  song.  Again  he  hears  the  voice  of  many 
angels  round  about  the  throne,  the  number  of 
whom  is  ten  thousand  times  ten  thousand  and 
thousands    of    thousands,    saying    with    a    loud 


130      GOSPEL  FOR  BOTH  WORLDS 

voice,  "  Worthy  is  the  Lamb  that  was  slain  to 
receive  power,  and  riches,  and  wisdom,  and 
strength,  and  honor,  and  glory,  and  blessing." 
Besides,  John  hears  the  song  of  them  that  had 
gotten  the  victory  over  the  beast,  as  they  stand  on 
the  sea  of  glass  before  the  throne  having  the 
harps  of  God,  singing  the  song  of  Moses,  the 
servant  of  God,  and  the  song  of  the  Lamb,  the 
song  in  honor  of  God's  glorious  triumph  over 
all  enemies.  Along  with  his  vision  of  the  new 
heaven  and  the  new  earth,  John  hears  a  great 
solo  voice  out  of  heaven  in  recitative  proclaim- 
ing that  the  tabernacle  of  God  is  with  men  and 
that  He  will  wipe  away  all  tears  from  their 
eyes.  After  the  sealing  of  the  hundred  and 
forty  and  four  thousand,  John  beholds  and  lo, 
a  great  multitude  which  no  man  can  number  of 
all  nations,  and  kindreds,  and  people,  and 
tongues  are  standing  before  the  throne  and 
before  the  Lamb  clothed  with  white  robes, 
and  palms  in  their  hands.  These  in  turn  cry 
with  a  loud  voice,  saying,  "  Salvation  (be 
ascribed)  to  our  God  which  sitteth  upon  the 
throne  and  unto  the  Lamb."  And  now,  in  our 
text,  John  gives  us  the  echo  of  what  we  may  un- 
erringly call  the  completed  chorus.  All  the 
voices  of  the  universe  have  come  into  it.  Not  one 
is  silent,  not  one  is  discordant.  Angelic  spirits 
that  have  never  known  sin  or  sorrow  are  blend- 
ing their  praises,  trained  through  the  ages,  with 
the    fresh    outbursts     of    the    latest    redeented. 


THE  COMPLETED  CHORUS        131 

Those  the  smoke  of  whose  torment  has  been  go- 
ing up  to  the  ages  of  ages  at  last  are  in  the 
chorus  singing  the  deepest  notes  of  rejoicing  for 
deliverance.  Hell's  weeping  and  gnashing  of 
teeth  have  turned  to  sobs  of  contrition  leading  up 
to  paeans  of  praise.  John  hears  every  creature 
• —  above,  around,  beneath  —  coming  into  touch 
with  the  one  great  theme  of  rejoicing  which 
thrills  the  universe  with  praise.  He  even  con- 
ceives of  the  sea  as  containing  intelligent  beings 
capable  of  understanding  and  joining  the  song. 
So  he  dimly  feels  the  existence  of  other  beings 
than  those  which  inhabit  the  surface  of  our  own 
planet,  inhabitants,  perhaps,  of  other  spheres 
who  will  have  their  testimony  to  give  in  song  to 
the  only  Saviour.  Oh,  what  a  jubilee !  Oh,  what 
a  fincde!  Worth  its  ages  of  preparation;  worth 
everything  it  has  cost  humanity  and  God!  Not 
too  glorious  to  be  the  perfectly  reasonable  and 
inevitable  consummation.  Every  stage  of  the 
piece  and  plot  has  held  this  as  its  manifest  trend 
and  destiny.  All  that  has  gone  before  would 
lose  its  meaning  without  this  conclusion.  Often 
we  have  been  bewildered  by  the  complexity  of  the 
plot;  but  does  anyone  suppose  that  God's  great 
oratorio  of  the  ages  can  possibly  end  in  a  minor 
key? 

Thank  God!  each  of  us  here  will  be  in  that 
completed  chorus.  It  is  for  each  of  us  to  choose 
this  morning  whether  it  shall  be  with  heart-songs 
of   mellowing   peace    dating   from   this    moment. 


132     GOSPEL  FOR  BOTH  WORLDS 

We  too  are  among  the  number  whom  Christ  has 
bought  and  redeemed  with  His  own  precious 
blood.  The  blood  of  Jesus  Christ  cleanseth  from 
all  sin  —  all  my  sin,  all  the  world's  sin.  It  avails 
for  the  sin  of  the  universe.  The  whole  world  will 
yet  accept  the  sacrifice  which  is  great  enough  for 
the  need  of  all,  and  which  would  fail  of  its  full 
redeeming  capacity  and  purpose,  if  all  did  not 
freely  accept  it.  Sooner  or  later;  then  why  not 
now.^*  Come  and  join  the  choir.  Along  with 
those  who  by  voice  and  life  are  singing  God's 
praise  among  living  men,  sings  the  choir  invisi- 
ble, whose  music  makes  the  gladness  of  the  world. 
There  is  a  place  waiting  for  us  in  the  choir  invisi- 
ble. Let  us  make  our  lives  shout  for  God! 
Some  Hindoo  converts  were  advised  by  their  mis- 
sionary not  to  sing  so  loud  in  their  meetings. 
They  explained  that  in  their  former  pagan  wor- 
ship those  who  shouted  loudest  were  considered 
most  pious.  "  And  shall  we  not  sing  with  all 
our  hearts  for  Christ,"  they  asked,  "  when  we 
used  to  shout  so  loud  for  Buddha?  " 

So  when  we  think  of  the  mighty  music  festival 
we  will  be  in  in  heaven  by  and  by ;  when  with  the 
Beloved  disciple  on  Patmos  we  catch  the  back- 
ward echo  of  that  completed  chorus  around  God's 
throne  at  last  singing  with  their  faces  toward  the 
ages  of  eternity  yet  to  come :  "  Blessing,  and 
honor,  and  glory,  and  power  be  unto  him  that 
sitteth  upon  the  throne,  and  unto  the  Lamb  to 
the  ages  of  the  ages :  "  when  we  hear  the  last  trem- 


THE  COMPLETED  CHORUS        133 

bling  voice  of  penitence  growing  stronger  in  ex- 
ulting praise;  we  rejoice,  even  here  in  the 
beginning  of  the  strife,  with  joy  unspeakable  and 
full  of  glory.  Even  here,  by  anticipation,  we 
sing  the  new  song  of  Christ's  universal  triumph 
surely  coming  at  last :  "  Thou  art  worthy  to 
take  the  book "  ( of  the  meaning  of  God's 
world)  "and  to  open  the  seals  thereof:  for  thou 
wast  slain,  and  hast  redeemed  us  to  Grod  by  thy 
blood  out  of  every  kindred,  and  tongue,  and 
people,  and  nation."  Again,  and  again,  and 
again  we  hear  the  shout,  the  refrain  ringing  out 
from  heaven,  echoing  up  from  earth,  sounding 
back  from  hell :  "  Worthy  is  the  Lamb  that  was 
slain !  "  When  on  Calvary's  cross  Christ  cried, 
"  It  is  finished !  "  the  keynote,  then  and  there,  was 
already  struck  for  the  Completed  Chorus. 


BY  THE  SAME  AUTHOR 

A  MISSION  TO  HELL 

A  STORY  OF  EVANGELISM  BEYOND 


It  is  intensely  interesting,  and  few  will  find  any- 
thing to  which  good  taste  or  sound  theology  will  object; 
unless  it  be  the  implication  that  there  may  be  repent- 
ance and  salvation  even  for  the  doomed. — St.  Louis 
Christian  Advocate. 

The  book  in  the  guise  of  a  story  is  a  profoundly 
serious  discussion  of  one  of  the  gravest  possible  ques- 
tions. There  is  no  flippancy.  On  the  other  hand  the 
discussion  is  in  a  most  deeply  serious  tone.  It  is  thor- 
oughly animated  by  the  sj^irit  that  brought  Jesus  down 
from  heaven  to  earth  on  his  mission  of  mercy. — Fall 
River  News. 

It  is  undoubtedly  the  worthy  product  of  a  pro- 
found faith,  a  loving  heart,  and  a  keen  intellect,  well 
equipped  in  fact  and  fancy. — Universalist  Leader. 

The  whole  book  is  more  interesting  than  a  ro- 
mance.— Neiu  York  Homiletic  Review. 

Delightfully  original,  quaintly  humorous,  impress- 
ively realistic,  and  intensely  earnest. — Christian  Life, 
London. 

The  publishers*  art  has  made  this  book  attractive 
to  the  eye,  the  title  is  appealing  to  the  imagination,  and 
no  one  can  doubt  the  sincerity  of  the  author's  purpose. 
His  conceptions  of  the  Savior's  love  and  mercy  are 
strong  and  beautiful. — Lutheran  Observer. 

It  is  a  story  thrilling  in  narration  and  intensely  in- 
teresting from  cover  to  cover.  No  one  will  become 
drowsy  in  reading  "  A  Mission  to  Hell." — Grand  Rap- 
ids Herald.       

Cloth;  12mo. ;  80  cents  net;  by  mail,  91  cents 
SHERMAN,   FRENCH   &   COMPANY,   PUBLISHERS 


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